Keith Universe
by LBthebookworm
Summary: Keith needs to learn how to use his powers. Luckily, his family is right there with him. Even if they are magic space rocks. (Steven Universe AU)
1. Gem Glow

**Enjoy this, fellow fans of Voltron and Steven Universe, and let me know what you think.**

 **...**

Chapter 1: Gem Glow

"What!?" At the look on the two girls' faces, Keith's own face flushed with embarrassment. "I mean, what?" Ezor looked up from the counter. "Sorry Keith. I guess they stopped making them."

"But why? Katie's Kookies n' Kream Ice Cream Bars are the best dessert ever."

Narti looked up from the register, and pointed at the large freezer in the corner. Inside were small tubs of Balloon Brand Bubblegum Ice Cream.

"Who picks medicine-flavored crap over cookies and cream?" Keith questioned.

Keith was in a particularly bad mood today. (Most people would argue that he was always in a bad mood, but that was beside the point) He had woken up to an empty house, and found no food in the fridge. This lead to him having to walk for thirty minutes to the nearest grocery store, forty five if you account for bad traffic and jerk wads not letting him cross.

After picking up some bread and peanut-butter, he realized he was starving, and simply could not walk another ten minutes to his house without something to eat. So he decided to grab a snack at the Comet Café. Was it really too much to ask for a simple ice cream bar?

"If you want one so bad, why don't you make one with your magic belly-button?" Ezor jabbed.

Keith's face heated up, realizing that that last bit had been out loud. Ezor smirked at the blush. Keith hated it when Ezor smirked. She was a pretty girl, (tall, dark skin, pretty eyes, hair red and always in a ponytail) but she looked so sinister when she smirked like that.

"That's not how it works," Keith shot back. _At least, I'm pretty sure that's not how it works._ Keith looked at the Quartz gem on his naval. _No, that's not how it works._ He walked over to the mini-fridge where they kept the K&K bars. "Why do things never work out right for me?" He questioned.

Then, he heard a tap on the counter. Turning his head, he saw Narti, who was sadly mute, signing something. Keith didn't really know sign language, but he did get,

" **You can have the freezer, if you like.** "

"Really? Aren't these things expensive"

Narti gave him what he thought was a look. " **Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.** " So Keith unplugged the freezer, picked up his grocery bag, said thank you, and then made his way home.

…

Keith lived next to a small town called Garrison. It was a nice town next to Lake Baku, which was roughly a third the size of Salt Lake. Surrounding them was nothing but dessert and mountains, which was fine by Keith. The desert was quiet.

Most of the time.

Keith lived in a house built at the base of the mountains closest to Garrison. His house was built into the mountain, on a wooden base built on top of a small sand hill. In front of the house was a beautiful view of Lake Baku, which the large statue carved into the mountain was facing.

Keith didn't know much about the statue, but it was shaped like a giant lion sitting on its haunches, with large wings carved out on the sides of the mountain. Keith's house was tucked in between the lion's front paws.

As he hauled the freezer up the hill, Keith heard a faint noise from inside the shack. _I_ _wonder if the others know how to make ice cream._ Keith set the freezer on the porch, and walked in with the groceries.

"Hey, do you guys know how to make -" but Kieth didn't get to finish his sentence, cause a giant, bug-like robot jumped on him. Keith let out a little yelp. The Beatle made a grab for his face, nearly taking out one of Keith's eyes in the process.

But before it could do any damage, there was a flash of light, and the beetle exploded into dust.

"Hey Keith," a cheery voice called out. Keith looked over to Hunk, who currently had a large gun out that he was firing at more of the beetle-things. Not too far away was Shiro, who was slashing away with his glowing gauntlet at any beetles who were close to him. And the last person in the house was Blue. She was busy fighting off the beetles with a giant scythe.

"So, what are these things?" Keith waited for one of them to answer, and, unsurprisingly, it was Shiro. "Sorry Keith," he said as he picked one up awkwardly. "We'll get these ro-beetles out of the house. We think they were trying to get into the Temple." Shiro gestured at the Temple door. Keith had never been in the Temple before, even though he had lived with his friends for many years.

The entrance was a cave that the interior of the house was connected to, and it had a smooth floor with a staircase that led up to the warp pad. Behind the pad was a black door with a blue V on it. The V was the sign for the Paladins of Voltron, defenders of the universe.

"What are you going to do with them?" Keith asked. Then the one Shiro was holding coughed out some purple oil. The oil melted right through the floor.

"You know what? I don't care."

As Hunk continued to shoot at the ro-beetles, he felt the need to point something important out. "Hey guys!" He turned to look at the others. "These things don't have gems."

"That means there's a mother nearby." Blue spoke as if was common knowledge that minion ro-beetles never go far from their "mother."

Still, Keith loved the idea of fighting a giant monster. "Can I help?" He wasn't trying to sound like a child, but he knew that that's what he sounded like.

Shiro shot him a smile. "Keith, until you learn how to command the powers in your gem, we'll take care of protecting humanity." And then he snapped the ro-beetle's neck.

Keith always enjoyed watching his friend battle. The way they moved was amazing. It looked so thought out and planned, but at the same time, it was spontaneous and sporadic. Sadly, Keith had very little training when it came to fighting, as the gems would always tell him they would teach him when he was older. They just never seemed to specify what age was older.

Don't get him wrong. Keith was happy to be a paladin of Voltron.

Their leader was Shiro, a pearl, with his gem right on his forehead, white hair and wise eyes. His mystical weapon was a gauntlet that resembled one a knight in Old Europe would have worn, and it lit up purple when he wanted to slice through something. Shiro's skin was almost as pale as his hair, and he had what looked like a scar across his nose. He wore a grey, short-sleeved shirt with a V on the sides of the upper arms. He 6' 6", at least a foot taller than Hunk, two feet taller then Keith, and exactly 1' 3" shorter than Blue.

Up next was Hunk. A citrine located on his chest. Dark yellow skin, orange hair. He had a vest on over a yellow shirt, and wore his V on his headband. His weapon was a gun that could shoot about a million different things, from lasers to nets to water balloons. He was the only one of the gems to have a longer range weapon, and was probably the most fun to be around.

And then there was Blue. A pyrope-spessartite garnet, with her gems on her hands. Her "armor" was an aviator jacket in various shades of blue and under that, a skin tight uniform that was blue and black with the blue V smack dab in the middle of her chest. Her light blue skin was flecked with little spots of purple here and there, and she had beautiful blue hair that always seemed to be switching shades. It was done mostly in a top knot, but she had thick bangs that hid her eyes from everyone. Don't ask how she could see through them. And her scythe could go from the size of an axe to a telephone pole. She preferred to keep it a few inches longer than herself.

When all the ro-beetles were taken care of, Keith assessed the damage to the house.

"Great, they trashed the kitchen." Keith started picking up the spoons and other utensils the monsters had spread all across the floor. As he stood up to put up the spoons, he noticed something in the freezer.

"Wait. Are these Katie's Kookies & Kream Ice Cream Bars?" He questioned. "I thought they stopped making them."

Shiro smiled, "Well, we heard that too, and since they're your favorite…"

"We went out and stole a bunch!" Hunk cried out happily.

An annoyed look passed over Shiro's face, "I went back and paid for them."

"The whole thing was my idea." Everyone turned to Blue. She didn't talk much, and when she did, it wasn't with much emotion.

"It was everyone's idea," amended Hunk.

But Blue was too stubborn. "Not really." A small smirk made its way onto her face.

"All that matters is that Keith is happy, right Keith?" Shiro asked.

Keith's face flushed. "Yeah. Th-thanks guys." He said with a hesitant smile. Everyone smiled, and let out some tiny giggles. Keith didn't really know what to say, so he grabbed a bar out of the freezer, and bit into it.

But then, something unexpected happened. Keith's gem started to GLOW. That never happens.

"Uh, Keith?"

He followed Hunk's gaze to his naval, and his jaw hit the floor.

"What do I do!?" He cried. "Try to summon your weapon," Hunk encouraged.

 _But I don't know how_. "It's fading! What do I do?" Keith was scared, what could he do?

"Stay calm." Shiro always knew how to keep his cool.

And then the glow was gone. _Darn it. I was so close_. "Can one of you explain how to summon a weapon?" Keith asked. Sadly, he had no idea what can of worms he had just opened.

"I call first," Shiro said suddenly. _Uh oh_.

…

Next thing he knew, Keith found himself next to a waterfall. "Look at this river, Keith. The river falls in exactly the same direction, but it is willing to bend and change at any given moment so it can complete its task. It changes based on the physical properties of itself and its environment!"

Keith could not remember the last time he heard Shiro so excited. "With practice," he told Keith, "hard work, and dedication, you can master the magical properties of your gem and carry out your own tasks."

And as he said this, Shiro summoned his gauntlet in a flash of purple light. "Like so," he smiled warmly, leaving a confused look on Keith's face.

…

"Did Shiro tell you the river thing?" Hunk asked. "Yeah," he told him, "I need to practice hard so I can… Be a waterfall?"

Hunk snorted, and took a bite out of the doughnut in his hand. "Listen Keith. Whenever I _need_ to summon my weapon, it just happens." Hunk's gem began to glow, and he pulled his gun out, and shot at a dumpster until it caught up in flames. "See? Didn't try at all," Hunk laughed, and took another bite out of his doughnut.

This just made Keith feel even more confused. And then, he felt panicked when he heard Ezor's voice cry out, "Again!? Really!"

He and Hunk sped out of the Comet Café's back alley at the speed of light.

…

"So I'm supposed to work _really_ hard, and not try at _all_ at the _same_ _time_?" Keith asked skeptically.

Blue stared at him for a moment. "Yes." She told him simply. Then she smiled.

"or… YOU CAN LINK YOUR MIND WITH ALL EXISTING MATTER, CHANNELING THE COLLECTIVE POWER OF THE UNIVERSE THROUGH YOUR GEM! Resulting in…"

Blue's gems began to glow, and from them came her scythe. "At least that's my way of doing it."

But the advice went right over Keith's head. _That makes no sense._

…

"Soooooo, I think my best bet is to recreate what happened right before my gem glowed." Keith told the others his plan, and they carefully retraced all their steps.

"Hunk, your arms were crossed." Keith said to the citrine, who looked bored. But he smiled and crossed his arms anyway.

After Keith had moved just about every object in the room, and when he fixed Shiro's hair so that all the strands in his bangs fell to the right, Shiro finally intervened. "Keith, I don't think this is how it works."

Keith looked over to him. He reached into the freezer and grabbed another K&K bar. "Okay, then we should probably get started. Um..." _So first, I said thanks for everything._

 _"_ Uh, thanks f-for everything," he felt like he should say more, but he found that he was chocked up. "Keith, you okay?" Hunk questioned. Then Keith realized he was crying. It wasn't much, the tears didn't even leave his eyes, but it was enough for the others to notice. "It's just... How can I be a Paladin of Voltron if I can't figure this out?"

"Keith, your one of us," Shiro told him, "even if you can't use your gem yet, your still a Paladin."

Hunk chimed in, "Plus, it's nice to have you around, even if you are a bit of a pessimist!"

"We aren't the Voltron Paladins without you," Blue said.

Keith felt embarrassed. Why did his face always turn so _red_ when people said nice things. But he smiled anyway, and took a bite out of his bar. Then, unexpectedly, his gem glowed, and from it, came a bright, sparkling weapon.

"Keith, it's a shield." Shiro gasped.

And it was amazing. A large, rosey-pink shield in an cross between a coffin-shape and a kite-shape.

But when Keith reached out to grab, mostly so he could hide the embarrassed look on his face, he ended up launching it right into the TV next to his bed. "Crap," he muttered. "So, I can summon my powers… By eating ice cream."

Shiro picked up the wrapper and read the back of it. "What's in these things?" He asked no one in particular.

Then there was a rumbling, and the Paladins saw something crawling across Keith's window. They all rushed outside. "It's the mother!" Blue confirmed, and she jumped up to try and grab it. "Stay the in the house, Keith!" Shiro commanded. _No way, I'm coming too._

…

Keith didn't know why he thought fighting a giant robot beetle armed with nothing but a few bars of ice cream sandwiches and a mini-freezer was a good idea. But it seemed like a good idea at the time.

He got to help the Paladins take down the ro-beetle, even if all his did was accidentally electrocute the ro-beetle with a broken mini-fridge.

Keith felt kinda ashamed for thinking he had his powers all figured out just because he summoned his shield one time.

"Guess your powers don't come from ice cream." Keith knew Hunk was trying to make feel better, but it didn't really help. What Shiro said helped though.

"Of course your powers don't come from ice cream. Don't worry Keith," he got down to Keith's level. "I'm sure one day you'll figure out how to activate the powers in your gem."

"Yes," Blue said, "in you own, Keith-y way."


	2. Laser Light Cannon

**Let me know what you think. Thank you for the reviews in the last chapter. It made my day. :)**

 **...**

Chapter 2: Laser Light Cannon

It was a day like any other. Ezor and Narti were running the Comet Café, Mr. Balmera had the pizza shop up and running, and the smell of Luxia's Fry Stand permeated the air.

And the fry stand was just the place Hunk and Keith were heading.

"Luxia! We need fry bits!" Keith called out. Luxia looked over from the counter. "Keith, we're closed." Luxia said.

"Come on! This is an emergency, we need bits!" Hunk cried, "The world will fall without them,"

Luxia raised an eyebrow. "You need fry bits to save the world?"

"Yes?" Keith said.

"Fine." Luxia turned to the fryers. "I can give you actual fries, you know."

"Just the bits, please?" Keith told her.

...

Proud of their accomplishments, Hunk and Keith were happily marching along, chewing on fry bits, watching the sunset. Except-

"Hey Hunk. Did we always have two Suns?" After realizing what Keith just said, Hunk let a laugh. "Yes, Keith. Definitely. We've always had a second su-" Then Hunk saw what Keith was talking about: a large red orb in the sky.

"Oh no! What is that doing here?!" Hunk yelped. "What is it?" asked Keith. Hunk answered him by picking Keith up and carrying him down to the lakeshore, straight to the temple. Keith was confused, but confusion soon turned to panic, as Hunk had dropped the fry bits. Hunk would never abandon food unless it was serious.

…

Blue and Shiro stood by the section of the lake in front of the temple, with Shiro peering through a telescope.

"This is bad," said Blue, the smallest bit of worry in her voice.

"Look at the size of it!" Shiro exclaimed. "I had no idea these things were so big!"

"Shiro! Blue!" Shiro looked up from the telescope, and he and Blue turned towards the sound of Hunk's voice.

"There you two are!" Shiro yelled. "Where have you been?"

Keith and Hunk exchanged a look. "Eating fry bits."

Shiro rolled his eyes. "Seriously? Hunk, we're trying save the world here."

"Can I see?" Keith asked. He peered through the telescope. The glowing orb was orange, and resembled an eye with a red iris and purple pupil. "It's a giant eyeball?"

"It's a red eye." said Shiro.

"So it's going to infect us all?" asked Keith.

"That's pink eye, Keith." said Blue.

Hunk laughed, but soon stopped at the look on Shiro's face. "It's going to crash into Garrison," Shiro explained, "and crush us, along with a bunch of oblivious, innocent people." A look of determination passed across his features. "We have to stop it!" He said, as he pounded his fist into his hand.

"How?" Keith questioned.

"The only thing strong enough to stop it is the quintessence cannon that belonged to Krolia Kogane." Blue said, tucking a loose strand of hair into her up-do.

"My mom?" asked Keith.

Hunk groaned. "If Krolia were here, this would be so easy!"

"I know," agreed Shiro, "but she's not. And the cannon is missing. We need to find another solution."

Everyone thought for a moment, then a switch flipped in Keith's head. "If it belonged to Mom, maybe my uncle has it."

The Paladins exchanged looks. "Coran is… nice, but I doubt Krolia would trust someone like _him_ with such a powerful weapon," stated Shiro.

"Coran's kind of a mess, Keith." said Hunk bluntly. "Hunk," warned Shiro.

"What? If she did give it to him, he probably broke it, or lost it, or dropped it in the lake by now." explained Hunk.

"True." agreed Blue.

"He might still have it. I'll go ask." Said Keith.

Blue walked over to him and Hunk. "We can handle this Keith." She tuned to Shiro, who nodded. "Ready?" She asked Hunk. "No, wait, wait!" But Blue had already picked him up. She jumped up, spun around, and threw Hunk straight at the red eye with a grunt of effort. Hunk let out a terrified scream, and connected straight with the eyeball.

But it didn't do anything, and Hunk fell right into the lake below.

"I'm gonna go." said Keith. "Okay, good luck." Shiro said, focused on the red eye.

...

Coran was a middle-aged mechanic running a car-repair shop on the other side of Garrison. He lived in the apartment above the shop, and could often be heard watching soap-operas at 3 a.m. by people a few blocks down.

Keith ran up to the shop, and jiggled the door handle. It was locked.

Now in this situation, most people would opt to pull out the cellular device they keep in their pockets at all times, and simply call the person who had something that they needed.

Keith was not one of those people. So throwing a brick through Coran's window and setting off the store alarm, in theory, was a good and much faster way to get Coran's attention. In theory.

"Who's there!? I've got motor oil, and I'm not afraid to use it!" A man with short orange hair, a fluffy moustache, and old blue coveralls came bursting out of the door. He was covered in grease, and he did have a giant bottle of motor oil.

"Coran! Calm down! It's me." Keith shouted.

Coran looked over to him. An exasperated look passed over his face. He blinked a couple of times, then pulled a little remote out of his pocket. He pressed a button on it, and the alarm stopped. "Keith?" He asked.

Keith smiled. "Hi."

Coral walked over to him. "I almost motor oiled you in the face!" He laughed. "What are you doing here so late?"

Keith squinted. "What do you mean? The sun just went down an hour ago."

"Oh. Heh," Coran's face flushed. "It was a slow day at the shop."

Coran pulled a rag out of his shirt pocket, and began to wipe the grease off his face. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but you don't come to visit unless there's an emergency." He got the last of the oil off him, and bent down to Keith's level, "so, what's the problem."

"I need the quintessence cannon that belonged to my mom." Said Keith. "To blow up that eyeball."

"Eyeball?"

Keith pointed up to the sky. Just as Coran noticed it, the two humans heard a scream, and saw Hunk being launched again. This attack proved to be just as effective as the last one. "It that magic? Because the Paladins asked me to stay away from magic." questioned Coran.

"We can't stop the red eye without it. Do you know where it is?"

Coran thought for a moment. "No," he started, "but I know where it might be."

...

Coran and Keith drove up to the Garrison Lockers 4 Rent parking lot in Coran's white pickup. (Coran loved the pickup because it had blue lines painted in futuristic-techy pattern and said "the Castle of Lions" on the side)

As they approached the first building in the lot, a thought occurred to Keith.

"You keep a giant, magical cannon in an old storage locker?"

Coran scowled at Keith's comment, but it turned to an evil smirk, "You know, _Yurak_ , some would say that there's more to this locker than meets the eye."

Keith felt his face heat up. _Stupid middle name._

"This old shed holds everything that doesn't fit in the apartment." explained Coran. "If it's anywhere, it'll be in here."

As he said this, he unlocked the unit, and Keith got a full view of what was inside.

 _A whole lotta crap._

Keith attempted to move one of the many boxes, but it knocked the whole stack behind it down. _How am I supposed to search for it like this?_

"If you're going in there, you'll need some gear." Coran said. He picked up a flashlight that somehow still worked, and tired it to Keith's head.

With a sock.

"Seriously?" Keith asked.

"Got a better idea?" questioned Coran. He tied an extension cord around Keith's waist, hugged him, and told him good luck.

…

Keith didn't quite understand how Coran had managed to collect so much stuff, but he had enough to do an entire museum about the 80s. _It's so dusty in here._

Keith walked around, before he came upon a coat rack. On it, there were several old college sweatshirts. There was one hooded sweatshirt that was was completely black, and had a teal V on it, a lot like the Voltron V. Before he knew what he was doing, Keith had taken the sweatshirt off the rack and slid it over his tank-top.

It was much too big for him, nearly coming to his knees, almost hiding his jorts from view. Keith was already short for his age, only 56" tall, and the sweatshirt made him look even shorter.

 _Oh well._ He thought. _At least it's comfy._

As Keith continued to search, his hope began to dwindle. Multiple times he had thought he found the cannon, only to realize it was something else. Such as the old drum Coran had for no reason, or the old T-shirt cannon, or the golf clubs. "Do you even know how to play golf?" He asked.

"I like to think of myself as someone who would play golf." replied Coran.

 _That wasn't what I asked._

As Keith rummaged through an old box, something fell on top of his head, so he looked up. It was a CD? He grabbed the box on the top shelf in front of him, and brought it down, staring at what was inside.

"Hey Coran! I found a bunch of your old CDs!" He called out.

"Oh, boy. I couldn't give those things away." Coran laughed. Then he continued.

"Before I was a mechanic, I used to tour the country as a one-man band." He said proudly. "Why'd you stop?" Keith asked him. "Same reason I moved out here. I heard that I had a nephew who needed me."

Keith looked back in the direction of Coran's voice. Coran never talked about this stuff, to the point where Keith knew almost nothing about his dad.

"Me and your father were best friends, best brother I could have asked for. Went down different paths after graduation, but we always kept in touch. I was real happy when he told me about Krolia and you, wanted a chance to meet you." Coran sounded so peaceful. Soon, a sad look took over his face. "Then I heard the bad news." Even if Keith didn't know much about his dad, he knew about this.

"I had a chance to meet you mother at the funeral. She was there all sobbing and crying. Told me she and your father had been together about four years, best four years of her life, and she was going to give up her physical form to bring you into the world." Coran's voice cracked. "Told me that in his will, your father said you'd be going to me if anything happened to him. Broke my heart all over again; I hadn't seen him face to face since high school, just the letters, every now and again."

Keith felt something crack below his sneaker. _Whoops._

"Adopting you was the best decision I've ever made."

Keith felt a little flushed at that reveal. "Coran, I think I broke something!" He called out. It was a photo: two people, a man that looked a lot like Keith, and a woman with purple skin and pink and purple hair. Keith shoved the broken frame aside and picked up the picture. Under the photo, in smudged ink, were a couple of names. Trevor Universe and Krolia Kogane.

"It's okay Keith! It's like your father used to say: make all the mistakes you need to in order to learn something!" Keith smiled at the encouragement, but then, he heard a faint humming sound, and crawled toward it.

 _The quintessence canon._

It was black, with the blue V glowing on the front. And it was incredibly large; taller than Keith.

"Coran, I found it!" Keith tied the extension cord around the base of the cannon. "Get the Castle!"

…

Once again, Keith's not too well-thought-out plan didn't end too well. But they could worry about all of Coran's wrecked junk after they saved the city.

Cruising down towards the lake side with a giant cannon in the back of a pickup, Coran's weird music playing, and the red eye getting closer and closer worked only to make Keith more and more anxious.

When they finally pulled up to the temple, Keith noticed Hunk had washed up on shore. "Throw me again. I think I'm cracking it!" Hunk yelped. _Well, Blue finally drove him crazy._

Keith heard Shiro and Hunk whisper to each other, something about having the cannon and being "saved!"

But both he and Coran were occupied with getting the cannon out of the back. As the red eye approached, everything around it was suddenly sucked up towards it. "We have to use the cannon now!" Blue screamed.

Shiro ran up to it. "I don't know how it works!" He yelled. "It was Krolia's!"

Keith turned around. "How do we use it, Coran?" Coran shrugged. "I don't know."

"The gem." Shiro said, suddenly. "You have Krolia's gem!"

Keith lifted up his sweatshirt and peered at the rose quartz on his naval. Keith then yelped as he felt Hunk lift him off the ground and slammed him into the cannon. "Come on." Hunk murmured.

"Stop that! It's no use!" Shiro commanded.

"Fine!" Hunk shouted. "Throw me again!"

"That won't work," said Blue. The Castle started to get dragged towards the eye. "I got this," Coran grabbed onto the back of the old pickup. It was quite obvious that he did not have it, as he was being dragged along with the Castle.

"Come on. Activate!" Keith angrily yelled. "Turn on? Do something!"

"It's okay Keith!" Coran shouted. "We'll figure something out!"

Keith smiled. "Right. Make all the mistakes you need in order to learn something, right?"

Then a miracle happened. The cannon began to glow, and activated. But as it was revving up, the axle broke on the base broke, and the barrel fell straight to the ground. Keith gasped tried to pick it up. It was way to heavy for him.

Then he felt someone help him lift it. The Paladins. "This is it!" said Hunk.

"Brace YOURSELVES!" Blue shouted.

And just as the red eye closed in, a burst of energy came from the cannon. It was a bright light, slightly tinted pink, and was shaped like a lion with wings, and it shot straight in to the red eye.

As the beam struck it, the red eye cracked all over, until it straight up exploded. "Yes!" Keith cried out.

Until he saw the damage. Huge chunks of debris hit all over random points of the boardwalk. One piece completely destroyed someone's car.

"Keith!" Hunk said happily. "You just saved most of Garrison!"

"How did you get it to work?" Shiro asked.

"I just said that thing that Coran always says." Keith replied. Shiro nodded, but then his eyes narrowed. "Where'd you get that?" pointing at the black sweatshirt.

"Keith, did you take that from the locker?" Coran answered Shiro's question. Keith blushed, "I'll give it back."

"No no no no." That startled Keith. Coran smiled. "Keep it. It was collecting dust anyway."

Keith smiled, then shivered. He looked down. Somehow, the debris had made the lake fill up, and now it was up to his waist. The others laughed, but Keith couldn't laugh when he saw the state of the Castle. "Uh, Coran."

Coran looked to where Keith was pointing; the Castle was being swept out into the lake by the tide. "My BABY!" He shrieked.

The Paladins looked at each other, laughed, and ran off to help him.


	3. Cheeseburger Backpack

**Let me know if it's awful, terrible, adequate, or some-what good. :p**

Chapter 3: Cheeseburger Backpack

Keith was sitting on a rock (it was the tail of the lion statue) waiting for the mailman to bring him a package. "Keith!"

Startled, Keith fell off the tail and crashed into the ground. He rubbed his head and blinked a couple of times before he noticed the small man in front of him. His was wearing a mailman uniform, and a big smile. "Good morning, Keith," the mailman, Klaizap, said respectfully.

"Do you have a package for me?" said Keith, skipping the formalities.

"Yes, actually. Let me find it," Klaizap replied. He rummaged through his pack, pulling out a bunch of letters, a box shaped like a loaf of bread, and even a weapon that resembled a swordfish nose. Then finally, he pulled out a large box labeled Wacky Sacks. "Here it is, Keith." said Klaizap. He read the label on the box before handing it over to Keith. "Why do you need a 'wacky sack?'"

"It's going to help me save the world." Keith said simply, before running back to the front of the temple. Klaizap smiled at Keith's antics. Then his face turned pale.

"Wait, I need a signature! If I don't get one, Zethrid will yell at me!"

...

Keith walked into his house with one of his rare smiles on his face. Though finding his living room covered in feathers dampened his mood. "Hello Keith," Blue said. Her hair had a bunch of feathers in it.

"Hunk, we don't need that! It won't fit in the fridge!" Shiro scolded. Hunk was trying to get what looked like a giant egg into the fridge. "Calm down, Shiro. I have this." replied Hunk.

The egg was at least two feet tall. The only way to fit the egg in would be to take everything else out of the fridge. So it came as no surprise when Hunk dumped everything in the fridge on the floor and set the egg inside. "Look, it fits!" he cried in triumph. Then, he slammed the fridge door shut and the sound of the egg breaking proved that the egg could not fit in the fridge. Hunk was totally unfazed by it though.

"We could make a giant omelet, or quiche, or sunny-side up…" Hunk continued to rant.

"We fought a giant bird." Shiro explained. "We can only stay for a second. We got to go back out."

"Why? What's going on?" Keith questioned.

"We need to place this," Shiro held up a small statue of a woman holding up a large diamond, "moon goddess statue on top of the Lunar Sea Spire by midnight, or the whole place will fall down." Shiro then smiled, "The Spire was an oasis for gems on Earth." As he said this, a hologram projected from the pearl on his forehead. It was of a large tower, surrounded by a waterfall. "It's abandoned now, but we can still save it with this." Shiro once again held up the statue.

Keith felt another rare smile creep up on his face. "I can carry it for you guys, in this."

He opened the wacky sack box, and pulled out a backpack that was shaped like a cheeseburger. Everyone stared blankly. "A hamburger?" said Shiro.

"It's a backpack. You know? For carrying stuff? On you back?" replied Keith.

The others continued to stare blankly. "Look, I know you don't think I should come on missions because I can't control the powers in my gem. But there are other ways I can help!" Keith said.

"With a hamburger?" Hunk asked.

"Keith… This is important gem business." said Shiro.

"I'm a gem!" Keith cried angrily. He lifted up his sweatshirt, showing the others his gem.

"Yes, you are. But you still have a lot to learn." Shiro told him.

"So you should let him come." Hunk wrapped his arms around Keith. "It'll be educational!"

Shiro looked between them. "Alright." He caved. "You can carry it in your hamburger."

Keith flushed. "Wait, let me pack extra supplies."

...

No matter how many times he did it, Keith could not figure out warp traveling. He often found himself floating and bouncing around in the warp stream. But it was faster than taking a boat.

When they made it to the Sea Spire, the first thing he noticed was that the warp pad was on a cliff next to the seaspire. After taking that in, Keith noticed the Sea Spire. It was tall, and elegant. But it was run down.

 _Kind of like the ruins in Rome._

"Blue, what's the status of the place?" asked Shiro.

Blue looked around. "I'm sensing structural instability." she replied. _That's never good._ Keith thought. Then he heard a cracking sound.

He looked down. Before he could register that the section of ground he was standing on was collapsing, Shiro had already grabbed onto him and yanked him to safety.

"Alright! We're taking Keith back!" Shiro screamed this as he wrapped Keith up tightly in a hug. Then a noise came from his backpack. " _Ring around the rosie,_ " Keith pulled out a doll. "I might have accidentally brought the Rosalyn doll." Keith muttered, with his signature blush across his face.

Blue smirked. "Accidentally?"

"Keith." Shiro used his stern voice. "I'm not sure you can handle this."

'I can!" Keith defended.

"We should get going." Blue cut in.

Shiro looked at her for a second. "Right. Let's go."

…

The first obstacle they came across was the cliff. The space between the Spire and cliff didn't seem that wide. Hunk choice to voice that fact. "Can't we just jump across?"

"No. The magic that sustains the whirlpool creates a vortex that would pull us below." Blue demonstrated by throw a giant rock across. Halfway to the other side it stopped in midair, and fell into the water.

"So we can't jump?" asked Shiro.

A little light bulb went off in Keith head. He pulled a couple of sweaters out of his backpack. Everyone stared at him funny. "What are those for?" Hunk asked.

"They were for keeping warm." Keith replied.

Then, when he was sure the knot was secure, Keith ran right past the Paladins, straight for the cliff. He slung one end of his sweater rope around a pillar and jumped right off the edge.

"Keith!" Shiro cried out in alarm. Keith could feel the strength of the magic pulling him down.

"He getting sucked in!" Hunk yelped.

But Keith wouldn't give up. He made a stronger grip on the sweaters, and slung himself over to the wall of the Sea Spire. He then ran/climbed up it with all the strength he had. As soon as he made it to safety, he let out a relieved sigh. "Nice one Keith!" He heard Hunk call out.

Hunk then brought his gun out, and removed one of his capturing nets from the ammunition pocket of the gun. "Grab on!" He told the other two Paladins. They did, and Hunk wrapped part of the net around the pillar and got them all over there in the same way Keith had.

As soon as they were all in the Sea Spire, Shiro practically screeched, "Don't ever do that again!"

"Sorry," Keith mumbled. Blue ruffled his mullet, which annoyed him to an explainable amount, Hunk gave him a one-armed hug, and when he let go, Shiro came up to Keith's side. "That was… pretty great." He complemented.

And for a record of three times in one day, Keith smiled.

…

 _If I had a dollar for everytime Shiro has complained about the state of this place…_

As much as he loved and respected Shiro, Keith was really starting to get annoyed.

"This used to have a head." Shiro was pointing at a statue.

They were near a little break in the long set of stair they had to climb. It had decorative states and pillars all over.

"Don't worry Keith. Once we put the statue back in place, it'll restore all this to its former glory." Shiro smiled. Then he screamed, and sliced the statue he had pointed at right in half with his laser gauntlet.

There had been some kind of green and pink slug on it. _Why is Shiro so scared of a little slug?_

"Crystal shrimp." Shiro muttered.

"You guys!" Hunk called out from the top of the stairs.

Keith and Shiro ran up to meet them. In front of them was a large room, with more of those crystal shrimp things all over the floor. "It's an infestation." Blue pointed out.

"And we have to go through here to get to the top." agreed Shiro. Just past the open room was another staircase.

"Alright, here's the plan." Shiro's gem glowed, and a hologram of Hunk came from it. "If Hunk sneaks around to the side and distracts them with a sneak attack…" Then the hologram shifted to looking like Blue. "And Blue, if you move to the ceiling, and strike," Shiro made an extra hologram in the shape of an X, "this exact spot. Then I can advance with my-"

Before Shiro could finish his explanation of his plan, Keith put two fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle.

"Dinner time!" He called out. He threw two sandwiches in opposite directions, and all the shrimp scurried over to try and eat one or the other.

Blue smiled, "Brilliant." she said. Keith turned red.

Shiro was baffled. "How did you know that would work?"

Keith turned even redder. "Well, if I were a shrimp, t-that's what I'd do."

Hunk laughed. "You are a shrimp" he told Keith affectionately.

The four Paladins then snuck past the feasting parasites, and made their way up the stairs.

"I just want everyone to know, my plan would have also worked." Shiro said as-a-matter-of-factly.

…

As they continued their journey, they came across a hallway with several alcoves in it.

 _This room is probably the worst wrecked we've seen so far._ Keith thought.

"Watch out!" Blue suddenly screamed, stopping everyone dead in their tracks.

Just then, one of the alcoves exploded, and a rush of water came pouring out, blocking their path.

"What are we going to do?" Hunk asked. Everyone turned to Keith.

Keith noticed the stares.

"What, me?" he asked sarcastically.

"What have you got?" Blue asked, her voice completely serious. Keith blushed for what must have been the fifteenth time that night. He pretty much became a tomato and both Hunk and Shiro started chanting "Cheeseburger backpack" under their breaths.

"Will this work?" he asked after pulling out what looked to be an inflatable raft. Blue and Hunk gave small gasps of shock and approval, while Shiro said, "Keith, that's so smart!"

At least it was smart until Keith inflated it and chucked it into the rush, Making it get swept out of the room and into the ocean outside. "Crap." Keith murmured.

Behind him, Blue had already found another solution to crossing. She kicked the support out from under a column and then elbowed the pillar so that it would fall across to the other side of the river. "It was a good idea anyway, Keith." she told him as they walked across.

"They can't all be winners." agreed Hunk.

…

When they finally made it to the top, Keith got a full view of the surrounding sea. And boy was it gorgeous.

"Here it is; the Moon Goddess Pedestal." as he said this, Shiro pointed at the large altar in front of them. "It's not too late to save this place."

"Keith, the statue." commanded Blue. Keith nodded, and looked through his backpack. Then he looked again. And again. _It's not here._ He paled.

"What's the holdup?" asked Hunk.

"I don't have it. I must have left it on the bed." Keith admitted. The Paladins gasped. Shiro turned to the moon. "There's no time," he breathed.

"Wait! I have an idea!" Keith rummaged through his backpack, and pulled out the old Rosalyn doll.

"Could that work?" asked Hunk.

Blue and Shiro exchanged looks, before they both just shrugged.

Keith walked over to the pedestal, and placed the doll on it.

Everyone held their breaths. The moon lined up with the pedestal, and its light created a beam that slowly began to lift up the Rosalyn doll. But, the doll was _not_ a magic statue, so it exploded, and the Sea Spire began to collapse all around the four Paladins.

"Stand together." said Blue, right as Hunk crashed into her and made her fall down.

Shiro called out Keith's name, and tried to grab him, but Keith to far away from the others, and the ocean was coming all to quickly to crush them.

…

Keith surfaced, and took several deep breaths. He looked around. Where were the others? Were they okay?

Shiro, Hunk, and Blue's heads broke the surface. A _very_ large blush made its way across Keith's face.

"I'm sorry. I ruined the whole mission." Keith said. _Why am I so useless?_

Shiro flushed. "No, no, Keith!" he told him. "The Seaspire was falling apart when we got here!" Then he smiled. "You worked well under pressure. You did great!"

"Yeah!" Hunk chimed in. "2 out of 4 of your ideas worked! That's 50%!"

Keith looked between the two of them. "I guess you're right." he conceded. "They can't all be winners."

But then, the four Paladins heard a bubbling sound, and they all turned their heads towards it. The inflatable raft from earlier surfaced.

"Yes!" Keith whisper shouted, pumping down one of his fists.

The Paladins all climbed in and got comfy.

"It's a three hour paddle home." Blue spoke. _Crap_.

Everyone traded exasperated looks.

Keith pulled a plastic bag out of his backpack. "Anyone want a wet bagel?"


	4. Together Breakfast

**Fun fact: This story was inspired by the idea of Pidge as Peridot trying to flush herself down the toilet.**

 **Please review, as it makes me feel alive inside.**

 **...**

Chapter 4: Together Breakfast

Keith woke up all nice and toasty in his big bed. His room was so nice, built up in a sort of loft, with stairs from it to the living room.

After getting ready for the day, Keith realized something important. The only food in the house was junk food.

So, sadly, Keith was forced to resign himself to eating a plate of junk food for breakfast. _But what junk food should I eat?_ He thought.

In the spirit of everything Hunk taught him about cooking, Keith decided to try something new.

...

The process was long, and very brutal, but Keith had done it. He had started by heating up 7 waffles in the toaster. (it was more like 17 waffles because of how many he had overcooked)

Then, he covered the waffles in syrup. "Maple syrup. The trees' greatest gift." He declared.

Next, he added a large mountain of whipped cream to the top, and two bags of hard snack pretzels. Finally, he added exactly 12 blueberries to the whipped cream pile.

Keith admired his handiwork. "This is too good to keep all to myself." he decided. "I should share it with the others."

Even though Keith knew that the Paladins didn't really need to eat, he had seen them eat from time to time. And he knew Hunk would be proud of his concoction.

"But how am I supposed to get inside the temple?" he asked.

As if she heard him, Blue suddenly appeared on the warp pad. "Blue! Perfect timing!' He called out. "I made us all breakfast."

Blue stared at the stack of calories. "I can't stay," She said, "There's business inside the temple I must attend to."

Keith narrowed his eyes. "I know it's not the healthiest, but it is in a stack. So you could call it a balanced breakfast." An adorable smile took over his features.

 _Come on,_ he thought. _Fall for the terribly pun and adorable look._

And although she did not show it, Blue was tempted to stay. Both the prospect of sitting with Keith and wiping that almost smug look from his face tempted her to no end, but she had a duty to attend to.

"Sorry Keith," she apologized. "I have to burn this." She held up a scroll in her hand that Keith had not noticed before. It had what looked like screaming faces painted on it. "Whoa." Keith stared, then without knowing why, took a picture of it with his camera phone.

Keith yelped as Blue had yanked his phone out of his hand. "Hey!" he cried.

But Blue had already used her gems to open the door behind them, and headed straight inside.

"I have to burn this too." she said.

"But that's my phone!" said Keith.

"Sorry, I can't hear you!" Blue called out as the door closed behind her.

Keith ran up to the door. He rapidly knocked on the door with both hands. "BLUE! That's the third phone this month! Coran won't let me have another one!"

But the door was sealed shut. Keith lifted up his sweatshirt. He placed his gem on the door. "OPEN!" he screeched. It didn't open.

 _Useless, stupid rock._ He thought.

"Why don't you work when I need you to?" he questioned. As he pulled his shirt back down over his gem, he walked over to the counter. He stared at his breakfast. _Guess I'm eating this alone._

Suddenly, Keith heard a loud noise. Then a total stranger, a grown man, burst into the room. "If I go down, punk, you're gonna go with me!" he screeched. The man held up the gun he was holding, and fired.

Keith barely had a second of reaction time before he was jumping in front of the stack of waffles, protecting it from a water balloon, and soaking himself in the process.

The man laughed. "Got you!" he said. Then, his entire head began to glow, and it shifted into that of Hunk's.

"Ha ha, Hunk." Keith laughed sarcastically. Then, Hunk smirked wickedly. Keith noticed, and paled.

"Hunk, no." he said. But Hunk didn't listen, and held up his weapon so that it was launching a constant stream of balloons at Keith.

Before too long, Keith was soaked through, and was silently fuming. Hunk kept laughing at Keith's suffering, right up until the temple door began to glow again.

It was not the glow of Blue's Y-like shape opening, but instead a yellow glow of an X.

"That's my door!" Hunk cried angrily, wondering who was in his room.

Shiro walked out, carrying what looked like a sword.

He came over to the two of them with an agitated look on his face. "Hunk," he began, "can you tell me why one of my swords was in your room?"

Hunk glared. "Probably trying to avoid getting whacked with other swords." He replied.

A flicker of annoyance past of his features, but Shiro quickly replaced it with a smile.

"It's okay." he said, "I know you took it, and I forgive you."

Hunk rolled his eyes, and ran past Shiro to the temple door, which was still open to Hunk's room.

As the door closed, Keith let out an agitated groan.

Shiro gave him a puzzled look. "What's the matter, Keith?" he asked.

"I made breakfast for everyone, but everyone just keeps leaving." Keith whined.

Shiro nodded, and turned his head to the door. His gem began to glow, and it opened in the shape of a C. "Sorry, Keith." he apologized. "But things we all have to take care of."

Shiro walked into his room.

And that is when Keith found himself faced with a predicament. He could go in after Shiro and have a chance to eat with his friends, or he could stay out here and eat alone. _Shiro_ is _always talking about how we should bond as a team._ he decided.

So Keith grabbed his stack of waffles, and ran in after Shiro.

...

Shiro's room was large, and made up of several fountains of water, dripping waterfalls into a giant pool below. Shiro was standing on a fountain that was towards the back of the room, putting the sword he had had earlier with a bunch of others, each one suspended in the air by some unseen magic.

"Hey Shiro!" screamed Keith.

Shiro yelped. "Keith! What are you doing in here? You know it's dangerous for you inside the temple." he scolded. Shiro's gem glowed again, and the door opened back up behind Keith.

"Why can't we all just eat together?" Keith asked.

In a desperate attempt to get to Shiro, Keith thought it would be a great idea to try and swim over to him, and find a way to climb up onto the back fountain.

"Keith, you need to leave." said Shiro. His voice was full of authority, but Keith was nothing if not stubborn.

But as Keith swam, he felt a current pick up, and drag him down towards another waterfall on the other side of the room.

"KEITH!" he heard Shiro call, before he was sucked down the waterfall, and into an infinite void below.

...

Keith felt himself wash up on a shore. He held the plate of breakfast over his head. It was perfectly dry. He let out a sigh of relief.

Then he heard a crash. When he looked up, he saw Hunk moving a giant box from one shelf to another.

"Better." he mumbled.

"Hunk." said Keith.

Hunk turned around. "Oh. Hey Keith!" He smiled. "Did you come down the waterfall?" Hunk asked.

Keith nodded.

Hunk's smile turned sour. "Shiro's so mad that I have his stuff, but it keeps getting washed down here." He complained.

"And then," he continued to rant, "he comes in here and wrecks everything!"

Keith looked around the room. There was a hole in the corner of the ceiling where the waterfall came from, dropping into a pool that took up a sixth of the giant room. The walls were yellow and white, with small spots of orange in them. There were shelves all over the walls, and each shelf had something different on it, such as collections of action figures or LEGOs, movies and books, and boxes of machine parts and tools. There were also several work tables, each with some kind of project on them. The only thing that looked wrecked was a pile of stuff labeled "washed up."

"Still looks pretty neat to me." said Keith.

Hunk smiled once again. "Aw, thanks! I try."

Hunk and Keith stared at each other for a second. "Hey, Keith. What's that?" Hunk pointed at the plate.

"I made breakfast for all of us." replied Keith.

Hunk stared at it, and started to drool slightly. "It looks good." He complimented.

Then he pounced, snapping his mouth forward, trying to get a bite of the food.

"Hunk! This is for all 4 of us!" Keith scolded, yanking the plate away. "It's a together breakfast."

"Together, huh?" Hunk asked, still drooling. Keith nodded.

Hunk jumped for the plate. Keith shrieked in fear (although he denied this when asked) and took off for the door in the other corner of the room.

…

Hunk had chased Keith and the together breakfast through a long tunnel and across a bridge of floating rocks, with Hunk constantly shouting "Keith, I'm hungry!" In a sing-song voice.

"We have to eat it with Shiro and Blue!" Keith yelled back.

After making it across the bridge, Keith ran through the doorway on the other side. He didn't know what was in that new room, but he knew he had to keep Hunk from eating the together breakfast.

He didn't even register what was in the room before he grabbed onto what looked like a giant firefighter pole in the middle of the room. It was awkward, as Keith could only really hold on with one arm.

Hunk seemed to snap out of his daze at the sight of the pole. "Wait." He said, worry creeping into his voice.

"Keith!"

Keith turned his head at the sound of Shiro's voice. He looked scared.

"Keith, you shouldn't be in here!" Shiro whisper shouted.

"Why not?" Keith asked.

"That's why." said Hunk. He was pointing at the ceiling. Keith looked up.

Stuck to the ceiling of the room was a large, glass orb. It was red, and it had several long glass pipes attached to it. They disappeared into the walls and ceiling of the room he was in. Keith realized the pole he was holding onto was one of those pipes.

"This is the heart of the temple." Shiro said quietly. "Keith, you really shouldn't be here."

Looking back at it, the orb did look a lot like a human heart. But why was it dangerous? And why was Shiro whispering?

Lost in thought, Keith relaxed his grip on the pipe ever so slightly.

Big mistake.

"KEITH!" Hunk and Shiro screamed simultaneously.

Keith slid down the pipe, sliding down it through a giant hole in the floor he hadn't noticed before. As he traveled between the walls of the temple, he was scared, but not freaked out. In fact, as he slid down it, he came to some kind of room that was completely quiet, and was filled with what looked like clouds. "This isn't so bad," he said.

Then the pipe traveled through the scariest place he has ever seen. He screamed in terror.

…

Soon, Keith's descent of the pipe slowed, and he found himself at the end of the line.

Literally.

He was in some kind of room, filled with more of the glass pipes and bubbles filled with gems. The whole room was lit up with blue, green, red, yellow, and purple light. In the very center of the room was a circular pool of lava.

Blue came into the room from a doorway below Keith's pipe, and headed straight for the pool.

Keith stared at her. She pulled out his phone, and snapped it in half, before throwing it into the lava.

 _Darn._

Blue then pulled out the scroll. Her gems began to glow, and she used her magic to lower the scroll into the lava. It caught fire, and she placed it in a bubble. The scroll burned up, and smoke formed in the bubble.

Keith was so entranced by what Blue was doing, he didn't notice when Hunk and Shiro landed beside him until he heard Shiro whisper-shout, "Keith! We're getting you out of here."

Keith whisper-shouted back, "Why can't we just all eat together?"

Keith was really bad at whisper shouting, so Blue heard him, and turned her head towards him. And because she took her attention away from it, Blue's bubble popped.

The smoke seemed to form some kind of sentient being that began to attack the Paladins. The three gems summoned their weapons, and they each fought back. "It's trying to escape!" Blue shouted.

"Force it back!" Shiro instructed. They each struck at it with their weapons. Realizing what the Paladins were trying to do, the smoke monster flew over them, and landed straight in the together breakfast.

"It's taken refuge in organic matter." said Blue. The smoke had formed some kind of gain monster made of waffles, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup. Because he still held the breakfast plate, Keith found himself stuck under the monster.

A stream of syrup shot from the monster and pinned Shiro to a wall with its stickiness.

"It has all the power of a breakfast." Blue observed. "We have to destroy it."

Hunk tied a bib around his neck, and pulled up what looked like a fork and knife. Blue shot him a look.

"What?" he asked.

The breakfast monster launched a waffle at Blue and Hunk, pinning them to a wall as well.

Keith felt rage flare in his heart. "You were supposed to bring us together." said Keith. He forced himself up, and used the plate to move the monster forward. It howled in fury, but Keith still pressed on.

He came up to the lava pool, and forced the monster down by the plate. "All you did was tear us apart." he said coldly.

The monster was completely destroyed. The three Paladins forced themselves out of their sticky situations.

They all crowded around Keith. His face turned red. "I'm sorry." he said simply.

...

Keith and the three Paladins were enjoying a nice morning by making breakfast together. This new breakfast was even bigger than the last one, with two stacks of waffles, half a bottle of syrup, an entire tub of cool whip, and exactly 24 blueberries.

When they finished, the four of them all smiled all their beautiful creation. Then they all frowned. Then they all exchanged looks. One thing was clear between the Paladins and Keith. _There's no way we're going to eat that._

"Let's order a pizza." they all agreed.


	5. Frybo

**This took a bit longer than expected. Sorry.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **...**

Chapter 5: Frybo

Keith's room was a mess. Clothes were strewn all across the floor. There was everything from T-shirts to collared shirts, fancy pants to bell bottoms, Halloween costumes to real suits of armor. And in the center of it all stood Keith. _Come on. Where is it?_

Keith looked all across the room. _I am such a mess._

"Come on. I knew I had eight." Keith turned his head. Shiro was talking to himself, and he was looking around the kitchen. In his hand was a bubble with some gem shards in it. "Hey, Keith..." he called out, not taking his eyes off of his search. "Have you seen a gem shard around here? It's very important."

"No." Keith replied. "Have you seen my hoodie? It's also very important."

Shiro shook his head. "I'm serious, Keith." He held up the bubble. "These shards have a powerful partial conciseness that has been used throughout history blah blah blah blah..."

If it were any other situation, Keith would have been fascinated by this story, but right now his hoodie was missing. So Shiro's story about the shard was going in one ear and out the other.

 _I didn't leave it in the kitchen, it wasn't in the bathroom. It must be under the bed!_ Keith thought triumphantly. _No wait, I looked there._ _Then Shiro came in..._

"-could become a monster!" Shiro explained. "That's why it's very important to keep it away from any kind of garment."

Keith nodded. "I'm going to go look for it in town. If you see it, bring it to me right away." said Shiro.

After Shiro left, Keith continued the search for his sweatshirt. _Guess I'll check the bathroom again._

 _..._

Keith would like to say finding a sentient hoodie playing with a mermaid doll in his bathtub was one of the weirdest things he's ever seen, but it didn't even crack top 10. He chased the poor sweatshirt around the house for a good five minutes before he finally grabbed it and yanked in on. When he managed to get it on, the hoodie began to shake, almost like it was sick. Wondering what was happening to it, Keith put his hands in the pockets. Then he felt something hard and cold.

When he pulled it out, he realized it was another one of those shards Shiro had earlier. The shard looked pretty cool, but when it tried to steal his hoodie again, Keith decided it would be shown no mercy. So he put it in one of his dirty socks.

"Not so tough now." he taunted. That seemed to make the sock mad, so it kicked Keith in the face. Several times. In fact, it kicked so hard, Keith almost lost his grip on it.

"Ow! Stop it!" Keith commanded. To his surprise, the sock did stop. "Huh. Well, guess I better get you to Shiro." he said. He placed the sock into his backpack, and made his way out to Garrison.

...

"Shiro!" Keith called out. Nothing. "Where is he?"

It was a dreary day in Garrison. It had rained for a good bit last night, and some of the clouds stuck behind. It was also a little chilly out, so Keith had replaced shorts and sneakers with jeans and rain boots.

Keith been looking for twenty minutes, and there was still no sign of Shiro. Keith found himself on the boardwalk next to the beach, close to the snack places. The place was so worn down. Trash was everywhere, there were boards coming up, and there was graffiti everywhere. Keith had to keep his head trailed on the ground so he wouldn't trip and break his face.

 _Maybe Shiro went back to the temple..._

Then Keith heard a girl scream. And it wasn't the kind of scream that comes from girls at boy band concerts. It was the kind that came from pure fear.

Keith snapped his head up just in time to see a girl in what looked like a giant fry costume run into him. He got knocked to the ground. "NO! GET THEM AWAY FROM ME!" the girl shrieked. She flailed her arms around, and continued shrieking. Keith could only look up at her in horror as a dozen seagulls swarmed around the top of the costume. The girl took off the head. "I'm not fries!" she yelled at the birds, batting them away with the fry head.

The costume as a whole was rather ridiculous. Keith hadn't seen it since he was 4, and Coran had brought him down to the boardwalk to buy some snacks. It scared him as much now as it had back then, with its beady eyes, creepy smile, and the fake fries sticking out of the top.

When all the seagulls vanished, neither Keith nor the girl moved a muscle. They both just stayed still, taking long, deep breaths.

The two kids almost had heart attacks when they heard a door open. They looked over to the side exit for Luxia's Fry Stand. "If you want to be a part of the family business, Sweetie, then you need to show a little more team spirit." Luxia scolded. Then she put her hand on her chin. "You also have to be my daughter... So you're halfway there!" Luxia then slammed the door, and the two kids were left alone again.

"Hey, Plaxum." Keith called to the girl in the costume. The girl, Plaxum, was a bit younger than Keith, but she was taller than him. She also had the platinum blonde hair that he mother had, although Plaxum preferred to keep it in pigtails instead of twin buns. She was usually very positive, but Keith had caught her on a bad day.

"When I told my mom I wanted to be a part of the family business, I didn't mean running around in a smelly, old costume." She said. Plaxum took the rest of the costume off. "Things used to be different. In those days, Keith, the only thing I needed to worry about was making myself sick on the seahorse ride at Funland."

PLaxum reached out a hand and help Keith up. "Is that a joke or..." asked Keith, a bit confused. Plaxum sighed. Did no one understand her.

"I wish this costume could do its job without me in it." said Plaxum. She lowered her head in defeat.

Keith stared at her for a moment. Then he got an idea. He slid his backpack off one arm, and pulled it in front of him. When he unzipped it, Plaxum looked to him. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Keith pulled an old sock out of the cheeseburger. He looked Plaxum dead in the eyes. "I don't know if this will work, so don't get your hopes up." he said.

Keith walked over to the costume. He pulled the shard out of the sock, and placed it inside the costume. For a second, nothing happened. Then the costume rolled around. It was moving completely of its own free will. "Stop, and get up!" Keith ordered it. It did so with some struggle. "Do a little dance!" Plaxum commanded.

And the costume did. Just as Luxia came outside again. "Good job, sweetie!" She encouraged "Plaxum."

Luxia laughed. "Keep it up!"

Plaxum stood there shocked for a moment. "Free! I'm free!" she said happily. "You've got the job!" she paused, unsure what to call the costume, "Frybo? Yeah. You've got the job Frybo." The costume almost nodded at them, but it tilted forward and had to correct itself. "Let's shake on it." Plaxum held out her hand. But the costume picked _her_ up and shook her around. "Stop!" Plaxum yelped. "Just go make people eat fries." she commanded.

Plaxum grabbed Keith's arm. "Let's go be kids!" she said excitedly.

...

The two kids were outside the Funland Arcade. There were two kiddie rides outside, a seahorse and a jellyfish. Both kids put coins into the slots, and hopped on the ride. The jellyfish Keith rode on pretty mush just shook him around, but Plaxum's seahorse rocked her back and forth. At first she was having a blast, but then she came to a realization. This wasn't as much fun as it used to be.

"This seahorse used to make me so happy." She said. "Now it's nothing but a tool used by the cruel forces of fate, used to oppress me, and remind me of the childhood happiness I can never get back. You know what I mean?"

Keith stared at her blankly. "No-oh-ooo-oh."

"You'll understand when you have a job." Plaxum said, disdain in her voice.

"You think protecting this crappy place isn't a 'job'?" Keith questioned.

Plaxum looked back at Keith. "I mean a real job! Where you get paid. The kind you only pick up to raise kids, or buy a house, or... impress your mom." He voice quieted. "You work so hard, and what does it get you?"

Keith looked puzzled. "Money?"

"Exactly! Money that can't buy back what the job takes! Even in you rode every seahorse in the world." Plaxum put her face in her hands, and let out a sad sigh.

Keith felt completely uncomfortable with the situation. "Do you want to ride the jellyfish?" he asked, hoping that she wasn't about to start crying.

But Plaxum barely got an answer out, before they heard the scream.

...

The two children dashed all across town to get back to the fry stand, panicked looks on their faces. What they saw when they got there shocked them beyond words. The boardwalk outside the kitchen was completely trashed, broken glass and smashed bits of what used to be a table everywhere. People were running from the shop, letting out screams of terror.

It was total pandemonium.

A yellow tentacle shot out of the kitchen door, and latched onto one of the people running. The man let out a shriek as he was dragged back into the shop.

The children ran up to the broken window. Inside, they saw what was doing this. _Frybo._ Keith thought.

Frybo had several people in its fake fry tentacles, stuffing fries in their mouth with its hands. Its back was to them.

"We diddn't tell it to do that!" Plaxum yelped. "Did we tell it to do that?" She asked Keith, who shrugged.

"Frybo, stop!" Keith comanded.

Frybo turned around, and Keith inhaled. The costume was covered in blue and red _veins_. _How does that even happen?_

The angry costume threw one of its victims at the children. They both yelped, and ducked. The victim hit the broken table, but appeared to be unharmed, and they sprinted off. _That's one less person to get hurt._

"Sweetie, where is all this coming from?" Plaxum nearly burst into tears at the sound of her mother's voice. Luxia was walking up to Frybo. "I'm sorry I pushed you so hard. Really, I am." Luxia began to tear up. "I value and appreciate everything you do for us here at the shop, and from now on, I'll try to listen to what you have to say!"

But Frybo didn't care about any of that. He latched onto Luxia, and started to force feed her fries.

"Mooooooom!" Plaxum didn't bother to hold back the tears after that. She tried to crawl in through the window, but Keith stopped her. "I'll take care of this." Keith promised. But before he could fufill that promise, Frybo chucked Luxia on top of the two kids. They managed to roll her off them, but all three were dazed and confused for several seconds.

That's all it took for Frybo to grab more fries, ready to force feed them all.

"Keith!" Keith and Plaxum craned their heads towards Shiro's voice. "Did you put my missing shard in that costume?" Shiro asked.

"Yes!" Keith yelled.

"Didn't you hear what I said about 'the living armor' and 'treason' and 'thousands of deaths'?" Shiro asked. He had the bubble from earlier in his left hand.

"No." Keith admitted. _No point in trying to lie._

Shiro face palmed, and let out a frustrated sigh. He jumped inside the shop, right next to the monster, and tapped his gem. He summoned his gauntlet.

As he began to hack away at the costume, he managed to pop it in the eye. But that was a big mistake, as it squirted a stream of ketchup at him that was so powerful, it knocked Shiro right out of the shop. He dropped the bubble, and all the shards fell out.

Keith ran over to Shiro. He was completely drenched in ketchup. "Gross. It's in my eyes." said Shiro.

Keith looked past Shiro, over to the shards. _This is a bad idea._

Frybo came up to Plaxum and Luxia, ready to attack them. Luxia was still out, and Plaxum was desperate to protect her mom. She picked up one of the table's broken legs, and stood in front of her mother. She started to swing the leg at the damaged, oozing costume. "Get back!" She shrieked. "I hate you!"

Luxia slowly woke up, and panic seized her. Where was Plaxum? Was she okay? "I hate you! I've always hated you!" Luxia looked at her daughter in surprise. Before she could ponder her child's words further, Frybo yanked the wood away from Plaxum and smacked her across the face. Luxia gabbed onto her, and they both clutched on tight to one another.

This was the end.

But then. something leaped up and attacked Frybo. It was a pair of pants.

Keith stood there, about 20 feet from the others, just wearing a pair of underwear. Everything else was standing next to him, from his hoodie to his socks. Luxia quickly covered Plaxum's eyes and closed her own.

"Attack!" he commanded the clothes.

Every piece fought against the Frybo. The hoodie and t-shirt going for the arms, pants and boots kicking the costume over and over again, and the socks wrapping themselves around its feet. Keith ran up the costume, and punched it in the face. Frybo fell over and Keith shoved his hand in its mouth, before pulling out the shard.

The battle was over. _Now to tend to the wounded._

"Keith, are you alright?" Shiro's eyes were still sealed shut, so he was mistakenly feeling Luxia's face for injury instead of Keith's.

"I'm okay." Keith replied. He looked down to the costume. "Not sure what we're going to do with this."

...

Keith's clothes had placed the costume in a boat, and were holding a funeral for the dead Frybo. Luxia looked at the costume, before she pulled out a lighter. She lit the costume of fire, and pushed it out into the lake. She let out a sigh. "Mom?" Luxia looked at Plaxum. "Are you gonna buy another costume?" she asked, her lip quivering.

Luxia smiled. "I don't need it. I've got you." She said, pulling her daughter into a hug.

Keith and Shiro watched on. "Looks like everything worked out." said Keith.

Shiro looked down at him. He was still in his underwear.

"Put you clothes on, Keith."


	6. Cat Fingers

**I'm not entirely** **convinced** **this does the characters or plot involved any justice, so I welcome advice and pointers.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **...**

Chapter 6: Cat Fingers

"Almost done!" Coran sang. He and Keith were making repairs to a delivery truck covered in tacky signs that read "Vote for Lubos" on them. It was known to many as the "Mayor Mobile".

The hood was up, and Coran was hunched over, fixing something in the back. "Keith, think you could pass me that wrench?" Keith looked over to the toolbox on his left. There were about a million wrenches in that tool box, so Keith grabbed the biggest one.

He handed it to Coran. "Keith this is the wrong size. I need one that's smaller." Coran handed the wrench back to Keith. Keith walked over walked back over to the box.

"Keith, I need one that's bigger." Coran told him. Keith grabbed a random one from the toolbox.

"Keith, is this the same one you brought me earlier?" Coran asked, inspecting the wrench, before handing it back to Keith.

Keith was seething. "Fight me." he said sarcastically. Coran raised an eyebrow, and twirled his mustache. He picked up another wrench on the bench behind him, he smiled wickedly. "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya." He held the wrench like it was some kind of weapon. "You killed my father. Prepare to die."

It was probably an old pop culture reference, but Keith had no idea what Coran was talking about. _Never mind. I'm taking this old man down._

Keith raised his "weapon," and swung at Coran. Coran parried the blow, and the two of them began to fight.

It went on for a while, strike and parry, before Keith tripped over something that had been left out, and Coran smiled wickedly. "I win." He gloated.

Keith, angry, grabbed a glass of water than had been left out, and dumped it on Coran. Coran sputtered, and snorted.

The uncle and nephew laughed, but the happy moment was cut short by a rustling sound. It was coming from behind a giant stack of tires. Coran met Keith's eyes, and they both picked up one of the surrounding tools. They made their way over to the stack, and saw that it was coming from a toolbox next to it.

And inside the toolbox, they found a... cat.

It was big, fluffy, and orange with yellow stripes.

"Awwwwwww!" Coran squealed. He bent down to the cat's level. "Well aren't you a cutie." Coran began to pet it, and it let out an adorable purr.

But Keith wasn't fooled. There was something off about this cat. Something familiar.

"I think I'm gonna call you Garfield." Coran cooed. But then the cat used its mouth to yank the wrench away from Coran, and took off running. "Hey!" said Keith.

He and Coran sprinted after the deranged animal, running past confused neighbors. They continued this dash with the thieving feline all the way to Lake Baku. Then something weird happened. The orange cat glowed brightly, changed into a yellow dolphin with orange spots, and dove into the lake. "Huh?" Coran asked, very confused. The two humans walked over to the lake edge and peered into the water. The dolphin chose that moment to resurface, and squirt them with its blowhole.

As the two humans whined at the state of their clothes, the dolphin laughed. But it wasn't one of those clicking noises dolphins normally made. It was an actual laugh. "Ha ha. Got you guys."

Keith glared at the dolphin. "Not funny, Hunk."

Coran was completely confused. "Hunk?" Then he noticed the gem on the dolphin's chest. "Oh."

"I got you!" Hunk laughed, and glowed again, changing back into his normal form. He climbed out of the water. "Sorry to steal your tools. But I needed them for a project I've been working on."

Coran stared. "You took more than the wrench?"

Hunk had the decency to look embarrassed. "Maybe?"

Before Coran could question further, Keith interrupted.

"I wish I could shape-shift like you." he said.

Hunk looked to him. "You could probably learn." he told the young Paladin.

"Really?" Keith asked.

"Definitely. I mean, you've got a gem."

"Is this magical, stay-away-Coran kind of stuff? Should I leave you two alone?" Coran asked.

Keith laughed at his uncle. "It's okay." he reassured.

Hunk shifted to look exactly like Keith. "Yeah, it's fun." Hunk said.

The old mechanic let out a squeak of fright, not at all reassured.

...

Back at the temple, Shiro was sitting in the kitchen, reading some book. Hunk decided to show off his amazing shape-shifting abilities to all present.

"Hey Shiro!" Shiro looked over to the citrine and child. Just as he did, Hunk shifted into a seal, and barked a couple of times. While Shiro was annoyed by Hunk's antics, Keith was amazed. "What else can you do?" he asked.

Hunk put his flipper to his chin. "Let me think." He said. Then, he shifted into a huge lion. He let out a vicious roar. The next animal he chose was a wolf. He chased his tail around, spinning fast, until he shifted into a bird. Hunk cawed a couple of times, before flying around and landing on Keith's head.

"Hunk, you shouldn't use shape-shifting so carelessly." said Shiro.

Hunk settled into the nest of Keith's mullet. "Calm down. I do this all the time."

Shiro shook his head. "Just because you can shape-shift, it doesn't mean you should."

"Can you shape-shift, Shiro?" Keith asked.

Shiro smiled. "Well, of course-"

"Of course I can!" Hunk shifted to look like Shiro. "I'm perfect!" Hunk said mockingly. In a further attempt to make Shiro blush, Hunk began to do the chicken dance and blow raspberries to the tune.

Shiro sighed. "All gems can shape-shift." He explained to Keith, making a hologram of a gem to go with his explanation. "We can change parts of our bodies, we can turn into objects," the hologram changed from a gem with long legs to a small chair, before it vanished completely. "or we could do that." Shiro pointed at Hunk, who was still doing the chicken dance.

"I want to learn." Keith asked.

Shiro thought for a moment. "Okay," he decided. "but don't bite off more than you can chew. Shape-shifting is very dangerous."

Hunk blew a really loud raspberry, killing the serious moment. Shiro gave an exasperated sigh, and stormed out the front door. Hunk smiled, and shifted back to himself.

"Okay." Keith walked up to him. "Show me how to change into a giant wolf."

"Whoa, Keith." Hunk cautioned. "Shiro's kind of right. Shape-shifting _can_ be dangerous."

Hunk crossed his arms, and put a stern look on his face. "You do have a tendency to rush things along. So, you need to try something easy."

"Like that cat you turned into earlier?" Keith asked.

"Purr-fect." Hunk agreed. Before Keith could comment on the terrible pun, Hunk had begun instruction.

"First, think about what you want to be." Hunk put his hands on his temple. "Then, shake it out." As Hunk said this, he removed his arms from his head, and he wiggled them around for a moment.

Keith was having a hard time believing it was that simple, but when Hunk actually changed into the cat, there wasn't really any denying it.

"See? Now you try." Hunk encouraged.

Keith poured all his concentration into shape-shifting.

 _Cat. Cat. Cat. Cat. Cat._ "Caaaaaaat."

"You're too tense Keith." Keith flustered. _Guess I said that last one out loud._

Hunk somehow smiled in his cat form. "You need to relax."

"I'm relaxed!" Keith defended. Hunk raised an eyebrow. "If you're not ready, we can try again later."

"No! I can do it." Keith said, determined. Hunk gave him a worried look.

"Okay. Go ahead." said Hunk.

Keith took a deep breath, and started to wiggle his arms around. He moved them in all sorts of different patterns, before he suddenly stopped. Keith just stood there, completely still, arms straight out in front of him. Nothing happened.

Hunk sighed. "Well... It was a nice try." he encouraged weakly.

Keith lowered his arms to his side. Or, at least he tried to. Both he and Hunk heard a weak "meow."

The two Paladins looked at Keith's hand. There was an actual cat head growing from his finger.

They both stood there, completely shocked. Hunk burst out laughing. "Keith!" He cried "That's amazing!"

Keith stared at the cat, and found himself grinning ear to ear. "I actually did it."

"You should go show your uncle." Hunk said happily. "He'll freak out!"

...

"Coran!" cried Keith.

Coran was back in the workshop, still trying to fix the Mayor Mobile. Keith stopped short. "You're still not done with that?"

Coran laughed. "Guess it needed more work that I thought."

Keith smiled to. "Check this out." Keith said, holding up his hand. The little cat finger meowed.

Coran jumped. "What is that?"

"Don't worry." said Keith. "I just shape-shifted my finger into a cat." Coran gawked at the cat. "Is that just... something you can do now? It's pretty, uh... interesting."

Keith looked at him for a moment, recognizing the discomfort in Coran's voice. "I'm going to go show some friends." Keith took off.

...

Keith found himself at the Comet Café, buying a doughnut.

"That's 1 chocolate donut filled with blueberry custard, ew by the way, and 1 Moon's fizzy pop. That comes to a total of $5.37." said Ezor. She held the bag of food items in one hand and held the other out to receive the money.

Keith handed her some cash and grabbed the bag. But as Narti was getting Keith change, the three heard a soft mewl. They all looked at Keith's hand. "What the heck is that?!" Ezor shrieked. Keith held up his finger. "It's a cat." he said.

"What's it doing on your finger?!" Ezor was screaming at the top of her lungs.

Narti, on the other hand, thought the cat was adorable, and started to pet it. "Narti, don't touch that. You don't know where it's been."

" **I can pet it if I want to**." Narit replied. The cat was purring as Narti scratched it. _That's a little creepy._ Keith thought.

"Are you making it purr?" Ezor asked.

"It kind of just does what it want." He answered.

"Really?" Ezor asked skeptically, and tried to pet it as well. It bit her. She let out a screech. "For little kitty, he sure bites hard."

"Sorry." Keith apologized. "Bad cat." he told the cat.

" **How did you even do that**?" Narti asked.

Keith smiled. "Like this." He shook his arm a couple of times, and the rest of his right-hand fingers turned into cats.

Both girls' jaws hit the floor.

...

"Plaxum!" Keith ran up to the fry stand.

Plaxum was at the counter, wearing the same blue and green uniform her mother often wore. "Hey, Keith." she said happily.

"You work the fryer now?" Keith asked. Plaxum nodded excitedly. "Cool. Can you get me the bits?" Keith asked.

"Keith, I take my job seriously." Plaxum told him. "You need to order something from the menu."

Luxia walked up from behind her daughter. "It's okay, Plaxum. Go get him some bits." Plaxum opened her mouth to argue, but she decided against it, and made her way to the back fryers.

"There not really for me." Keith told Luxia. He set some money out on the counter.

Plaxum came back, grabbed the money, and put it in the register. "Here are your bits."

She gave him a paper boat full of small chunks of fries. "Thanks." Keith said. He held the hand with the cat fingers up to the boat, and they slowly started to eat the fries. Plaxum and Luxia just stared at the strange scene.

"I can't look away." Luxia muttered.

"Keith, that is _freakish_." Plaxum said with her eyes dead locked on the cat fingers.

Keith felt a flare of anger. "No, it's completely natural. See!" Keith held up his other hand, and took a deep breath. He shook his arm around, and cat fingers replaced all his fingers.

Plaxum and Luxia still stood there, completely shocked. Keith was creeped out by the looks, so he grabbed the boat, and made his way home.

...

Keith realized the cat fingers were a big problem when he got home and couldn't open the door without making them mad. When Keith finally managed to get inside, he decided to grab a paper and pen, and draw. Drawing always calmed him, and right now, his nerves really needed to be calmed.

"Will you just shut up!" Keith yelled at his fingers. He held his pen in an awkward position, and was having a hard time moving it the right way. The fact that his fingers wouldn't _shut up_ wasn't helping.

 _I need to get rid of them. But I can't tell the others. They'll stop trusting me with magic._

"Hey Keith!" Hunk cried. He was standing in the front doorway.

Keith snapped out of his thoughts, and turned to face Hunk. "Yeah?" he asked.

"We got to go fight a living island. It just showed up in the Lake all of the sudden, and Blue says that if we don't kill it immediately, it'll destroy Garrison. Just wanted you to know. We'll be home by lunch tomorrow." Hunk waved goodbye, and jumped off the porch.

Keith stared at the spot Hunk had been at previously. "Hunk, wait!" Keith chased after him. "I want to fight a living island!"

Keith ran after him. He chased Hunk all the way to the dock on the other side of the temple. The Paladins were in a small sail boat and were already floating ran out into the water after them. "Keith!" Shiro said surprised.

Hunk smiled. "Come on! You can make it!" he said.

Keith tried to swim after the boat, but the cat fingers hissed, and Keith had to raise them above his head.

When the Paladins saw the state of his hands, they all gasped. "Keith, what is going on?"

"Nothing!" Keith defended. "I'm fine. I just kind of, well, um... turned all my fingers into cats."

Shiro wanted to stay but, the living island was a huge threat. It had to be dealt with now. "Keith, just try to stay calm! We'll help you as soon as we get back!"

Keith stared at the ship as it vanished off in the distance. _Stay calm. I can definitely do that._

...

Keith sat in the house, on the couch. His hands were in his lap, palms up.

"Alright. No more cat fingers." he told the felines. "I want Keith fingers." _And I don't mean fingers with little versions of my head on them._ he added in his mind.

But the cats didn't leave. Keith let out a sigh. He put his hand to his forehead. Then, something awful happened. Another cat head showed up on his forehead.

Keith fell to the floor in surprise, and more cats showed up on his body.

They popped up all over his body, and he had no idea how to stop it. What could he do? There was no one around to help him. No Shiro. No Blue. No Hunk.

"Coran!" Keith realized suddenly. Even if his uncle didn't know anything about magic, he could probably do _something._

Keith slowly got up, and made his way to his uncle's home.

...

Coran was listening to some music, happily humming along to the tune. Today had been a good day. He had managed to fix the Mayor Mobile so well that Mayor Lubos actually paid him without complaint. Coran then had a chance to finally sort out some of the mess in his garage. Which is what he had been doing when a giant cat-covered monster thing showed up. Coran screamed like a little girl, and threw the nearest object he could find. The creature dodged it. "Coran!" a voice called out.

Coran froze. "Keith?" he asked, unsure.

Keith turned his head, which was very hard with all the cats mutating in and out of his skin. But that wasn't what scared Coran the most. (it was freaky) What scared Coran the most is that Keith had tears in his eyes.

Keith _never_ cried.

"The cat fingers are taking over my body!" Keith explained, voice scared.

Coran walked over to his nephew. "Hang on, I'll get you out of there." He grabbed onto one of the cat heads, but another head grabbed onto Coran's hand and threw him.

"Coran!" Keith cried in alarm. "Bad! Bad cat fingers!" _Why won't they go away?_

Keith took several deep breaths. _This is it. I screwed everything up. Shiro told me not to go overboard, but I didn't listen, and now my life is over. I can't go on missions, I can't draw, I can't hang out with Coran, and I can't ever go swimming because these things hate..._ water.

"Coran! I need you get me wet!"

Coran looked to Keith. He stared, not understanding, then it clicked into place.

Coran picked up his bottle of water from earlier and threw the contents at Keith. It wasn't enough. If anything, it just made it worse.

Coran looked around from something else he could use. They wasn't anything else except...

His eyes locked on a tarp a couple feet away. "Keith, do you trust me?"

Keith stared at his uncle. "Yes." he replied without hesitation.

Coran threw the tarp over Keith, and wrapped him up in it. The cats shrieked and hissed with fear. Coran didn't care. He picked the wrapped up Keith up and threw him in the bed of the Castle. He turned on the truck and drove as fast as possible to the edge of Lake Baku. The cats continued to hiss and scream, but Coran was so close to saving Keith, he didn't even acknowledge them.

Coran backed the truck up so close to the lake that the back tires almost touched the water. He climbed out of the front seat and into the trunk with Keith. "Keith, this is going to be a bit scary, so get ready."

He picked up the wrap, and threw as hard as he could. He kept a firm grip on the tarp, so Keith was unraveled from it, and fell into the water.

Coran set the tarp in the bed, and climbed into the water.

There was a massive struggle, water flying everywhere, screaming, and plenty of flailing from Keith and the cats.

But soon, it stopped, and all that was left was Keith and Coran. No more cats.

The two humans looked at each other, before they burst into hysterical, desperate laughter.

...

Keith sat patiently on the Paladin docks, waiting for his friends to return.

As soon as the boat got back, Shiro hopped out and ran over to Keith. "Let me see it." Shiro picked up Keith's hand, and inspected it. He was surprised to see it was okay. He let out a sigh of relief.

"This just goes to show that you should never listen to Hunk, and you should always listen to me." Shiro said, with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"That's fair." Hunk agreed.

"It goes to show," Blue corrected, "we should all have a little more faith in Keith." The other two Paladins nodded in agreement.

"After all, he managed to find a way out of that _cat-tastrophe_."

Keith stared at Blue. "Really?" he asked.

Blue smiled. "I'm just _kitten_ around."

The others all gave her looks.

"Sorry." Blue said. "In all seriousness, how are you _feline_ , Keith?"

The other all walked off, leaving Blue alone on the docks. She laughed to herself. "Good job, Keith." she whispered quietly, before joining the rest of her team.


	7. Bubble Buddies

**Hello.**

 **...**

Chapter 7: Bubble Buddies

Keith squinted, looking at the sky through his window. _The sun is so bright today_ , he thought.

No matter, he was going for a bike ride. He snapped on a red and white helmet, and went outside. He climbed down the stairs, and grabbed his bike from under the porch. As he was rolling it down the sand mound, he felt the ground shake, violently. He looked up from his bike, and saw the Paladins were making their way back to the temple.

"They're not earthquakes." Blue told Shiro and Hunk as they walked. "They're too frequent."

 _Uh oh._ Keith felt worry creep into his mind. _If I hurry, then I could probably slip away unnoticed._

"Hey look!" Hunk yelled, spotting Keith at the base of the hill. "Keith has a bike!"

 _Crap!_ "Hey guys." Keith said. He smiled awkwardly.

"Where are you going, Keith?" Shiro asked.

"Just out for a ride!" Keith said quickly.

"In the _sand_?" Blue asked skeptically.

Keith turned and walked his bike away fast as he could. "Yep!" he called back.

...

Blue was right to be skeptical, as Keith could barley peddle through the hot dessert sand. But he peddled on, despite the sweltering heat beating on his back and thick sand wearing away his tires.

He was just past his mailbox, when he stopped and hopped off. Not too far away was a girl about Keith's age. Her skin was a pretty tan color, and she had long hair that was dyed purple. Behind thick glasses were soft, grey eyes.

"Smooth ride." Keith said loudly to himself. "5-speed. Hand-brakes. Fiery red paint job." He looked over to the girl. She was reading a book about snakes. Didn't even realize he was there.

Keith felt embarrassed. _Why don't you just go talk to her like a normal person?_ He hopped up on the bike, but as he was attempting to drive away, it fell over with a loud crash. The girl chose _that_ moment to look up from her snake book. Keith felt a surge of embarrassment. He scrambled to get off the ground. He then took off running, abandoning his helmet and bike.

...

Keith had run all the way back to his house, anxiety filling up his brain. He had looked giant monsters in the eyes without breaking a sweat, but he couldn't even say "hi" to a girl. How ironic.

Keith dashed up the porch steps and ran inside, slamming the door behind him. He pressed his back against the door, and took several deep, heavy breathes. His gaze traveled to the floor. _This is the worst day of my life..._

"Who were you talking to?" Shiro asked.

 _...and somehow, it keeps getting worse._

"What?" Keith asked, feigning ignorance.

"That girl." said Blue.

Keith hands suddenly became clammy. "She's just some girl I know." he answered quietly.

"You like her!" Hunk screamed happily.

"Hunk, we all know that I don't like anybody." Keith defended.

Shiro smiled wide. "Let's set up a play date. I can write up a schedule, and we'll need to find out her favorite kind of tea..." he trailed off, mumbling the rest of the plans under his breathe.

"No." Blue said firmly. "Just go talk to her."

Keith nodded. "I will, if you guys promise not to watch this time." Hunk looked disappointed. He tried to protest, but Keith cut him off. "It you do, it'll mess up my funky flow!"

The Paladins all looked confused on that. "What's a 'funky flow?'" Hunk and Shiro asked simultaneously.

"I don't have to explain myself to you!" Keith yelped out, face pink, crossing his arms.

Hunk and Shiro still looked confused. "We won't watch." Blue said. She put one hand over each of the shorter Paladins' eyes. They started to protest, but Blue only gripped their heads tighter.

Keith nodded, before he ran over to his freezer. He grabbed something out of it, and ran off.

"What's that?" Blue questioned.

"Thought you said you wouldn't watch!" Keith yelled back as he ran out the door.

Blue smiled, and dragged herself and the other struggling Paladins back through the house towards the temple door.

...

Keith was walking back towards where the girl was, unease growing every second. Keith didn't know anything about making friends, let alone talking to girls. (Plaxum didn't count because she and Keith had known each other since they were infants)

But Fate gave him a chance to make a good impression when another earthquake rocked the ground. It made one of the stone feathers on the temple statue break, and it fell towards the girl. In a panic, Keith ran towards the girl, and tackled her.

Just when Keith thought they would be crushed, a giant, pink bubble formed around them. The stone feather hit the bubble, and the rock broke apart.

 _How did I do that?_ Keith questioned.

He looked down at the girl. "H-Hi. M-my name is K-keith." he said.

"Acxa." The girl told him. They both got up. "What happened?" she asked.

"I made this... bubble. I'm half-magic. On my mom's side." He told her.

The girl nodded in understanding. "That's... cool."

He blushed. "My friends are magic, too. We're Paladins of Voltron. We protect the earth from magic and monsters."

Acxa nodded again. "Oh...kay." she didn't really believe that this kid could fight a _monster_ , but if he said so...

"So how does this usually last?" Acxa questioned. She put her hand on the sides. It looked and felt like glass.

Keith stared at Acxa uncomprehendingly, before realizing what she meant. "Right. Sorry." Keith put a hand over where his gem was, and closed his eyes. _Concentrate_ , he told himself. _Let the magic flow through you._

Keith opened his eyes. The bubble was still there.

"What's wrong?" Acxa asked.

Keith turned red again. "I don't think it wants to go away."

Acxa looked at him like he was crazy. "So we're stuck here?"

Keith nodded. He walked over to one side of the bubble, and started to push. If he could get it to the temple, maybe the Paladins would know what to do. Acxa walked over, and started to help. "So, I don't see you around here that often." He said, obviously nervous.

Acxa smiled lightly. "I go to a boarding school in Naxzela City, and can only come home every other weekend. And I mostly spend time with family when I do."

"I sometimes go on missions with the other Paladins." He told her. "But they usually say it's too dangerous."

"Do you always go in a bubble?" she questioned.

Keith looked around the bubble. "No, this is new."

Acxa looked at him like he was crazy again. "So you can't control it at all?"

"No," he said honestly, "but the Paladins will know what to do."

Soon, they got to Keith's house. But as the two children tried to roll up they hill, the bubble rolled itself back down.

"Dang it." said Keith. He tried to roll it back up, but he soon realized it was futile. "GUYS! SHIRO! BLUE! HUNK?" he called out, trying to get their attention.

"I don't think they can hear you." Acxa told him.

Right I told them not to watch. "Guess we'll just have to wait."

Acxa put her hand on her chin. "Actually, I think I might know someone who can help."

...

Narti banged on the bubble with a hammer, while Ezor was cackling a few feet away. "Nice going, Acxa." She laughed.

Keith turned to Acxa. "You know Ezor?" he asked.

Acxa flustered. "She and Narti, they're my, um... sisters."

Keith gave her a puzzled look. "Really?" he asked. "They've never mentioned you."

Axca turned towards the two twenty-something-year-olds. "You've never mentioned me?"

"We would have, except we were worried this one," she made a gesture to Keith, "would use his freaky magic on you. And we were right."

" **He trapped in this freaky love-bubble**." Narti signed, before continuing to bang on the bubble with the hammer.

Acxa and Keith blushed. "C-can you just get us out of here?" Acxa said.

"Sure." Ezor said. "Let me try something." She ran inside. When she came back out, she ran at the bubble with a chair. She smashed it right at the hard surface.

But the chair broke instead. "Guess we'll go get help from somewhere else." Keith offered. Ezor and Narti nodded, mouths hanging open at the sight of the smashed chair.

Acxa and Keith rolled their bubble away.

...

Keith and Acxa found themselves at Garrison's docks, looking for someone specific.

"Who are we looking for again?" Acxa asked. Staring a the boats around them.

Keith peered around the docks. "There he is!" he pointed at a small child. He was probably only two feet tall, and had blue eyes and yellow hair. But he almost had this... creepy feeling to him. It could come from the fact his skin almost appeared green. "Bob!" Keith called to the child.

Bob turned to look at them. "We need a harpoon gun." Keith told him. Bob said nothing. "Harpoon gun." he said slower. Bob still didn't say anything.

Keith sighed. _Dead end_. Keith thought bitterly.

Acxa looked at the small child. She walked over to the part of the bubble in front of Bob, and exhaled so that her breath fogged up the material. She then wrote "harpoon gun" in the fog. Bob flashed a smile, and nodded, before taking off.

"How'd you know that would work?" Keith asked her.

"It just made sense." she replied, flashing him a grin. Keith lightly smiled back. The cute moment was cut short by a loud honk from a nearby ship. The two kids looked over two the noise, and saw that Bob had already gotten the harpoon gun. The children yelped, and pushed themselves to the sides of the bubble, out of the way, just as Bob fired the harpoon smack dab in the center of the bubble.

The harpoon bounced off the bubble, not even scratching it, and hit a nearby ship, sinking it. The three children all looked to each other, before taking off in different directions before the owner returned.

...

Keith brought the bubble towards the boardwalk's theme park.

"Funland?" Acxa asked.

"Yeah. Tons of horrible accidents happen everyday." Keith explained. Acxa gave him a look. "We just need to find the right ride." Keith said thoughtfully. He looked around, before spotting the perfect attraction. "This way." Acxa and Keith rolled the bubble over to a small roller coaster. They rolled it up to the place to the loading platform.

"We just need to roll on the track. When the cart comes by, it'll the bubble and it will pop." said Keith.

"What happens after the bubble pops?" Acxa asked.

"We'll be free." Keith said, like it was obvious. Acxa deadpanned. "Keith, this is a bad idea." Keith pursed his lips. "You're right. Guess we'll just have to go back to the temple." He decided.

But before the two kids could roll away, they felt the ground shake again, and they were shaken onto the track.

They rolled down the track, screaming the whole time, before the cart crashed into them. It propelled the bubble far, far out into the ocean.

...

When the bubble hit the underwater ground, Keith opened his eyes and looked around. He took in several deep heavy breaths. "Where are we?" asked Acxa.

Keith turned to look at her. Her glasses had been knocked off during their flight. He picked them up, and handed them to her. "The bottom of the lake." he said.

Acxa yanked her glasses back on, and pressed her hands against the bubble. She looked around. "Are we even _close_ to the shore?" she asked.

"This way." Keith said, rolling the bubble in a random direction. _Just dodged that uncomfortable question._

The two traveled in silence, giving each other the occasional glance. The bottom of the lake was mostly muddy sand and grey rocks, with the occasional litter.

But as the two children were making their way home, a gigantic worm swam over them. Acxa gasped. "What is that?"

"A monster." He replied.

It swam over to a cluster of bright rocks, and began to chew on them. "Do all monsters eat glowing rocks?" Acxa questioned. Keith just shrugged. This monster seemed pretty harmless. But as it left, it dug itself a hole in the ground, causing large cracks to open up in the ocean floor. Cracks that the bubble fell into.

Keith and Acxa landed hard, and on their back, squished into each other. "Are you okay?" Keith asked, getting up. Acxa didn't say anything. "It's okay, we can just-"

"IT'S NOT OKAY!" Axca screamed. Shame colored Keith's cheeks.

"You keep saying we'll be fine, but you have no idea what you're doing!" Acxa continued. "Now we're going to suffocate and die at the bottom of a cold, dark lake, and only my sisters will notice because no one else cares about me!" Keith looked at her, bewildered. _What, does she not have any other family?_

"I'm going to disappear without ever making a single friend." she finished, pressing her back to the bubble. _Oh._ She rested her forehead on her knees, put her face in her hands, and started to sob. Keith felt uncomfortable. _What do I do?_ Then, and idea came to him.

The bubble was filled with a bright light. Acxa looked up from her hands.

Keith was offering her a glow bracelet. "We could be friends." A light blush had spread across his face, and as he spoke, his voice was small. "I saw you at the Boardwalk Parade last year." His face turned even redder. "You dropped your bracelet. I picked it up, and then I couldn't find you."

Acxa smiled. "That's right! You were that kid from the auto-shop float." she giggled. "You were wearing a tinfoil hat."

Keith laughed with her. "I was suppose to be a screwdriver." Then his face grew serious. "I'm sorry. If I had returned your bracelet back then, we wouldn't be stuck in this bubble."

"It's okay." Acxa said after a few seconds. "This has been fun, even if we're going to die."

Just as she said that, though, the bubble popped. The two children felt the cold rush of water hit them, before they took off towards the surface.

...

Acxa and Keith surfaced, coughing and heaving. They swam to the shore and collapsed on the sand. Keith looked over to his new friend, and laughed hysterically. Acxa joined in, but both kids stopped when they felt the ground shake. The giant worm rose out of the water, and roared. "Run?" Keith asked.

"Yes, please." Axca said. Both children fled the beach, instead choosing to run towards the Paladins' private dock. The temple was close, and it was low tide, so they could hide among the wooden beams. Surely the Paladins would feel the mini-earthquakes and come help them. The worm chased them as they desperately made their way to the docks.

 _Why is it after us?_ Keith questioned. Then he noticed Acxa's glow bracelet. "It eats bright stuff." Keith whispered. He grabbed her wrist, and yanked the bracelet off. "Stay here!" he commanded. "What?!" Acxa screeched.

"Just trust me!" Keith yelled back. Acxa stopped right were she was, and Keith continued to run. The worm slithered right past her, and chased after Keith instead. Keith picked up the pace, running under the docks. The worm followed him the whole way, even as Keith ran between and around support poles.

He eventually ran back towards Acxa, stopping right next to her. He turned back to the monster, and both kids stared slack-jawed at the creature. It had tangled itself all up in the beams, and even though it couldn't go anywhere, it was still trying to get the bracelet. But just when it looked like it was about to break free, the dock collapsed right on top of it. It wailed in pain, before exploding into nothing but dust and a gem. Keith and Acxa looked to each other again, not believing what just happened.

"Keith!" Keith was startled by the sound of his friends' voices. He and Acxa turned to them. "Are you alright?" Shiro asked.

"He was amazing!" Acxa proclaimed loudly. Keith blushed. "It was nothing," He said smiling. Shiro and Hunk slid up to the two children, and both Paladins had huge grins on their faces.

"Keith was very excited to meet you! Right Keith?" Shiro asked, putting his hands on Keith's shoulders, smiling wide at Acxa. Keith blushed.

"HEY!" Blue scolded. She walked up, and had a bubble with the monster's remain in it in her hands. She pressed the top, sending it away. "Don't mess with his funky flow." She picked Hunk and Shiro right off the ground, and marched off, leaving the two kids alone.

"Funky flow?" Acxa asked, smirk on her face.


	8. Serious Keith

**Boop.**

 **...**

Chapter 8: Serious Keith

Sirens blared from all directions, but Keith barely heard them. Every part of his body ached. He just wanted the pain to go away. _Why won't it go away?_

Keith cracked his eyes open. He looked around. There were giants teacups ( _Giant teacups?_ ) spread all over the place, smashed into shops and the boardwalk. Keith was completely traumatized. _What did I do?_

...

 _Two weeks later_

...

The four Paladins were warping to an old gem-site to complete a mission. Keith's _first_ magical Paladin mission. "Pay attention, Keith." said Shiro. "This is your first serious mission. You need to be ready." Keith nodded. "I'm ready." He told his friends.

No, he wasn't ready. He was upside down. Even after all the practice Keith had warping, he still couldn't stay upright in the warp stream. "Keith, you're going to make yourself sick." Blue warned. For her warning, she got slapped in the face with a notebook. She was unfazed, and grabbed before it could float away. She handed it back to Keith. "Why'd you bring that thing?" Hunk asked.

Keith shrugged. "Thought I'd find something amazing to draw, I don't know..." he trailed off, eyes low. The notebook slipped out of his hands once again as he gave his explanation. He gasped, and swam after it. "Keith get back here!" Shiro yelled. "You could get seriously hurt!" As soon as Keith grabbed the book, the warp stream closed, and while the Paladins landed safely on the warp pad, Keith was ejected 20 feet into the surrounding area.

Keith landed on a giant strawberry. It exploded under him, spreading goop all over him. He sat up looked around the beautiful landscape. It was a large field, surrounded by hills and covered in what looked like old weapons and strawberries.

"Keith, are you okay?" Hunk asked as the three paladins ran up to Keith. Keith nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just covered in jam." Hunk laughed.

"Actually, its not jam unless you add sugar and lemon juice." Hunk explained. Keith scowled. He looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could say anything, his vision was blocked by several white butterflies. They swarmed all around him, crawling all over his sticky skin. He yelped, and frantically swiped at them, before he slipped on the mashed up strawberry and fell flat on his face. They continued to flutter around his head, until Blue swiped them away. "They're just butterflies, Keith." she told him. She handed him a towel (don't ask where she got it) and helped him up.

"They looked a lot bigger when they were on my eyeballs." he told her, rubbing his mullet clean of the strawberry goop.

While was busy with that, Shiro whispered to Blue, "I'm not sure Keith is ready for this one." Blue put a hand on Shiro's shoulder.

"Just look how happy he is to be here." she suggested. Shiro turned back to the youngest Paladin. Keith had picked up his notebook, and was wiping the goop off of it. A small clump of pages tore away from the bindings of the book, and Keith let out a small curse. Shiro sighed. "Come on team." he addressed the rest of the Paladins. "Let's go recover the gemstone."

...

The Paladins walked through the strawberry-covered landscape. "This was once a gem battlefield. Now it's just wild strawberries as the eye can see." Blue commented.

Shiro smiled. "That's what I love about the earth. This might be a light mission after all." said Shiro. His words turned out to be wrong, as the four Paladins came upon a giant, dark, upside-down, floating pyramid. It was covered in a magnificent pattern of triangles inside triangles on all sides.

"No, this will be a very heavy mission." Blue said. She walked to the front of the group, and put her hands together. When she pulled them apart, she did so swiftly, and a smaller version of the pyramid appeared in her hands. She placed it in a small opening on one side of the big pyramid, and a door opened up. The four Paladins went inside. They came into a large room, and looked around at the pyramid's insides. There was decorative mural up on the ceiling of what looked like some kind of fight between two people. _That one kind of looks like Mom_. Keith thought, looking at one of the persons.

The rest of the interior was covered in more triangular patterns. But what stuck out the most id how there was nothing in the room but a pedestal. It was covered in more of the triangles, and floating above it was another small version of the giant pyramid. "What's this?" Keith questioned.

None of the other Paladins were paying Keith any attention. Instead they were looking at the murals on the ceiling, probably for clues. "Whatever it is, you probably shouldn't touch it." Shiro said absentmindedly. But the warning came too late as Keith had accidentally turned the pyramid upside down while poking it. The whole place began to shake. "Keith, what have we told you about touching magical objects?" Shiro scolded as the Paladins ran over to Keith. "Don't." Keith answered.

The floor gave out from under the Paladins, and they all fell down a dark tunnel.

...

The Paladins landed in a large room with 13 doors. They knew they could most likely find a way out in one of the rooms said doors lead to. "Looks like we'll have to split up." Hunk said. He picked Keith up over his head. "Keith can come with me!" Hunk said happily.

"No, you two are a disaster waiting to happen." Shiro told them. "Keith and I can stay here."

"No, Keith should come with me, and you two should go by yourselves." said Blue. She took Keith from Hunk's grasp, and held him like a baby. "We'll cover more ground, and if things get rough, I can carry Keith with much less effort than either of you." Blue explained. "Okay" Hunk said, before running into the closet room. Shiro tried to protest, but Hunk was already gone.

Shiro stared at her for a moment. "Sounds like a plan." he concluded. He looked to Keith. "Just remember, Keith: Patience yields focus." Shiro said. Then he smirked. "Don't let this be like the teacups." Before Keith could say anything back, Shiro took off into another one of the rooms.

"I've put that behind me!" Keith called out after him. Keith looked up at Blue. "You can put me down now." Blue let go, and Keith pulled a pencil out from behind his ear. He started to draw something in his notebook, but Blue couldn't see what it was. "Come on Keith." she said, walking towards another room.

Keith followed behind her, not looking up from his sketch.

...

Keith and Blue passed through a long hallway, before eventually coming to a large room. The moment they stepped inside, the door closed behind them, and locked shut. Keith looked up from his drawing, just as some of the tiles on the floor began to glow. Keith stared at them.

"We need to stay on the glowing panels." Blue said. She hopped on one that was in front of her. Keith tucked his pencil into his journal, and followed her lead. The two Paladins journeyed through the room, coming close to the door on the opposite side. But just as Keith jumped on the last tile, his notebook slipped from his grasp. It fell to the ground with a resounding thud. Blue and Keith both gasped, waiting for the trap to go off. But nothing happened. The two Paladins both let out sighs of relief.

But then the panel under the notebook turned red, as did all the glowing blue panels. Blue and Keith looked to the door they came in. Every panel from the door and so on started to break apart, and fell into a pit of fire beneath the floor. Blue jumped over to Keith grabbed and his notebook, and jumped through the second door.

...

As the pyramid shook, Keith let out a groan. "We can take a break if you're not feeling well, Keith." Blue told him.

Keith shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Just dizzy." Keith put his hands on his hips. "I'm perfectly fine." He said.

Blue nodded. "Okay. But you need to be more careful." Her tone was condescending, but then she smiled widely. "You could trigger a trap with that gun show." She squeezed his bicep with her hand, which made his face a bright scarlet. Blue pressed the hand that did not contain Keith's notebook to his mouth, and suppressed a giggle. Keith snatched his book from Blue's hand.

Blue face changed back to neutral. "We're going to have to think to get out of this one. Check the room for clues." She bent down to the floor, looking for anything odd. Keith walked over to the wall behind her. He peered at the markings on the wall. He pressed his empty hand up against one. _Why is this stone warmer than the surrounding stone?_ he thought. This could be a clue.

But as he thought this, the stone glowed, and pushed itself into the wall. The whole room began to shake, and a giant pillar with spikes descended upon the two paladins. Blue summoned her scythe, and used it keep the pillar from crushing her and Keith. She looked at Keith, ready to tell him to run, but he was drawing in his notebook again. "Keith, now is not the time for that." she said. He looked up, and nodded. He took off to the newly opened door, and slid inside, Blue not far behind.

"That was a bit too close for comfort." Blue commented. "Yeah." Keith agreed, before he passed out.

...

 _Two weeks earlier_

...

"This is going to be intense." Blue warned. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

Keith nodded. "I'm ready."

Blue smiled, before buckling herself and Keith in. "Ready!" she told the ride operator. He nodded, before pulling a lever, and starting the ride.

It was one of those spinning teacup rides, it was perched on a high pole at least 20 feet off the ground, and it was supposed to be fun. ("Not getting me in that thing." Hunk swore. "Nope. No way") But because Keith had had at least 3 chili dogs, a giant ice cream cone, and 2 wads of cotton candy, he wasn't feeling too good. So, he unbuckled himself from the ride, and jumped off. "Keith!" Blue screamed.

But Keith was perfectly fine. The controls he had landed on on the other hand had been smashed to pieces. So the teacup ride sped up so fast that the teacup seats had been flung from their positions, and smashed just about everything in their path.

...

 _Present Day_

...

Keith woke up with a start. He realized he was in Blue's arms. "What happened?" he asked. "You fainted." Blue said simply. Keith looked back behind her. The last trap looked like it had been a hard one. "Thank you for carrying me." he muttered as she put him down. _Why did you pass out?_ he scolded himself. He realized vaguely that he must have lost his notebook somewhere in there.

The two walked into the next hallway. But it brought them back to the first room. "We're back were we started." Blue said.

Shiro came through one of the doors. "There you two are!" he looked frantic. "The doors in this place make no sense! No matter which one we go in, we always end up back here!" Just then, Hunk came sliding out of one door, completely frozen in ice. "This place is a death trap." Shiro muttered under his breath. He summoned his gauntlet, and began hacking away at the ice.

"What do we do?" Keith asked Blue. Blue was completely unfazed by any of the other Paladins' worry. "We'll just have to go back in again. And again. And again." She said.

Keith flushed. "I don't think I can." he whispered to Blue. "Keith..." she began.

"No. You guys were right. I wanted to help, but I just feel like I'm going to vomit. That's Hunk's thing." Keith said. "This is just like the teacups."

"I don't think that's what Shiro meant." Blue said, putting a hand on Keith's shoulder. But a thought occurred to Keith.

 _This_ is _just like the teacups._

"Blue, all the rooms are spinning us around so we end up back here." he told his tall friend. "It's just like the teacup ride at Funland." Blue stared at him for a moment, before looking at Shiro, who was still hacking at Hunk's ice block on the other side of the room.

Blue walked to the center of the room, and pulled out her scythe. "Blue what are you-" Blue cut Keith off by slamming her scythe into the ground. Cracks spread all over the floor, right under the Paladins, before it broke away completely.

...

The Paladins landed on more floating pyramids, inside a giant, white room with another pedestal in the middle of it. The pyramids were spinning in tight circles around the pedestal. Shiro was simultaneously holding onto the still mostly frozen Hunk and the upside-down pyramid he was on, while Blue and Keith were clutching onto each other at tight as possible. "Th-this is so c-c-cool." Hunk said, teeth chattering from the cold. "Th-this is a g-gem powered me-mechanism that spins the r-rooms above so t-that when you go in one room, it sp-spins you around unt-until you get back to the central ch-chamber." Hunk sneezed loudly.

"It's kind of like the teacup ride at Funland." Shiro obsereved.

"Keith already figured that out!" Blue yelled, pride in her voice. "Oh." Shiro said, blush spreading across his face.

Keith spotted a glowing stone on the pedestal. "Blue, I need you to throw me." He said. Blue nodded, before picking him up and throwing his at the pedestal with no effort. Keith hit it dead center, and grabbed onto the gem. He pulled with all his strength, before it came loose, and the whole pyramid exploded around them.

...

Debris crashed all around the Paladins. Keith once again landed on a strawberry, and covered himself in the gunk. His friends ran over to him. "Are you alright?" Shiro asked

Keith nodded, and held up the white gem from the pyramid to Shiro. He took it from Keith, and bubbled it. "Good job, Keith." he said.

Keith smiled. "You dropped this." Blue said as she handed him his notebook. Keith smiled, before flipping to the page he had been working on. "What do you think?" he asked his friends. He had drawn the center chamber with the 13 doors, and it looked lovely. Sadly, before the older Paladins could tell him this, a swarm of butterflies attacked him again, and everyone was too concerned with that to worry about his art.

"They're in my eyes again!" Keith cried.


	9. Red Lion

**I couldn't think of a better wrestler name. If you've got a better idea, then let me hear it! Also, I apologize for my inability to write fight** **scenes** **. I've done the best I can. Enjoy.**

 **...**

Chapter 9: Red Lion

The Temple's warp pad glowed, and the four Paladins returned to their home.

"What on Earth made you think shooting a blood pallet was a good idea?" Blue asked Hunk. Keith couldn't tell if she was angry, upset, or worried, but she definitely wasn't happy with Hunk. "Look at all the gunk you got in my hair." There was only a small spot of the red gunk in her her bangs, but Blue didn't like it when her hair got messed up. "And look at Keith." She pointed at Keith. He was covered from his feet to his neck in the same red gunk.

"It's not that bad." Keith protested.

"See? He's okay with it." Hunk said happily.

"He is not going to be okay with it when it hardens." Blue replied. _What happens when it hardens?_ Keith wondered. He got his answer when he realized the goop had harden to the point where he could not move his fingers. He attempted to move towards the kitchen, but as soon as he got close to the sink, the sludge hardened completely, leaving him stuck.

The other Paladins didn't notice. "You cannot continue to endanger the rest of us with your antics." Blue scolded.

"It's not like I want to put us in danger! I just try to help where I can. It's just something great about me! Right, Shiro?" Hunk said angrily.

Shiro had been silent before, but he spoke in a serious tone. "Hunk. You are a Paladin of Voltron. You need to _act_ like it."

Hunk flushed, and for a moment, it looked like he was about to cry. But he ignored the pain, let out a sharp fine, and marched into his room. "I think we got through to him." Blue said. Keith couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. "Uh, guys?" Keith asked the remaining Paladins, but they both went into their respective rooms, leaving Keith alone in the kitchen.

...

It was late at night, and Keith had fallen asleep in his little cocoon. He was sleeping peacefully when a sudden noise startled him awake. It was the sound of the temple door opening.

He looked over to see who it was, hopefully Shiro with something to get him out of this, but it turned out to be Hunk. _What's he doing?_ Keith wondered. Hunk went out of the house's front door. Keith wanted to go, but he was still stuck. But then, he heard a cracking sound. The cocoon turned brittle, and Keith busted out of it easily. He ran out on the porch, and saw Hunk running towards Garrison. Curious, he followed after him.

...

Keith followed after Hunk all the way to the other side of Garrison. _Where_ is _he going?_ Keith thought, running out of breath. Eventually though, they stopped running though the streets and came upon an old, abandoned building. At least from the outside it looked abandoned. On the inside, it looked like some kind of gym, with a big wrestling ring in the middle. There was a table next to the ring, with some kind of announcer sitting at it, and around the ring, there was a decently-sized audience sitting in fold-out chairs. _Why would Hunk come here?_ Keith asked. He got his answer when he saw Hunk walk onstage, shape-shifted into a giant wrestler.

He had gotten rid of his normal clothes, including his Voltron headband, and switched it for a wrestler costume. His costume was yellow-orange color, and was pretty basic except for a mask that was about as big as a Mardi Gras mask and was shaped like a lion's head.

"And tonight, we have the Yellow Lion, the single most hated wrestler in Garrison Underground's history!" The announcer said enthusiastically into the microphone. Everyone one in the audience booed. "His opponent, or should I say _victim_ , the Hitman." He pointed to another wrestler in the ring with Hunk. The "Hitman" was wearing camouflage and had some black streaks under his eyes. It was painfully obvious that it was Klaizap. If he was trying to look like a tough assassin, he was doing a poor job.

"I'm going to end your reign of terror!" he promised. He ran towards Hunk, screaming in rage. But Hunk just held up his hand. Klaizap ran smack dab into Hunk's open palm, and passed out. "Ooooo! That was quick!" The announcer cheered. Hunk picked Klaizap up, and threw him out of the ring. Keep in mind, Hunk is far from a heartless monster. He did not through Klaizap simply to gloat. (although that may have been a small part of it)

No, Hunk had thrown Klaizap in an effort to get him on the Underground's emergency stretcher. But that's not what Keith saw. He saw an opportunity to learn how to fight.

The crowd continued to boo the Yellow Lion, until he finally ran off the stage and out the side doors. Despite the hate and mockery, and the fact he had nearly killed someone, Hunk was smiling the whole time.

...

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh." Hunk sighed, shape-shifting back to his normal form. He started to walk back towards the temple, but he stopped when he felt something grab his arm. "Hunk!" a voice said. Startled, Hunk grabbed the hand of his attacker, and threw him over his shoulder. He flushed when he realized it was Keith. "What are you doing here?" he asked, panicked.

"Are you a secret wrestler?" Keith asked, getting up from the ground. Hunk blushed. "Well... um, I wouldn't say, uh... _what_ is a secret, really?" Keith gave him a look. "Okay, yes, I am a secret wrestler." Hunk admitted.

"Why?" Keith asked.

Hunk thought for a moment. "I guess it's because, in the ring, no one can really tell me what to do." Hunk said. "And if they try, then I can hit them in the face with a chair."

"People like that?" as terrible as Keith was with reading people, he had a hard time believing anyone would enjoy that. "Well, people hate it, but they also understand that that's part of it. Unlike Blue and Shiro." Hunk sighed. "You have no idea how hard it is with them on my case all the time."

Keith scoffed. "Seriously, Hunk?" Keith pulled his messy bangs forward in a funny pattern, matching Shiro's forelock perfectly. "Keith," he said mimicking Shiro's voice, "I've told you before not to rush into things without a plan." He then pushed his mullet so it was covering his eyes completely. "I'm not going to say anything," Keith said in Blue's almost emotionless tone. "But I expect you to realize that was wrong." Keith fixed up his hair. "Let me wrestle with you." he asked.

"No." Hunk told him. "Keith, you don't have any experience fighting. You could get hurt."

Keith sighed. "But you could teach me!" Keith argued. When Hunk said no once more, Keith knew he was being forced to take drastic measures. "Guess if you won't let me fight..." he said darkly, "I'll just have to tell Blue and Shiro about this."

Hunk paled. "Okay! Fine!" he yelped. "I haven't won the tag team belt, anyway." he muttered under his breath.

...

The next night was Keith debut as the newest wrestler in Garrison Undergrounds as "Red Lion."

"Real original." Hunk said happily as the pair sat off to the side. Keith's costume was exactly the same as Hunk's, except it was red. They were going up against some guys dressed like construction workers. The plan was Hunk would go first...

...and Keith wouldn't go at all because he had no fighting experience. "Just take notes, and try to enjoy yourself." Hunk instructed.

"What happens if you need help?" Keith asked.

"Then I'll tag you." Hunk said. He turned to the ring. "Wish me luck." he said happily, running to the center to meet his opponent. The announcer began. "Tonight, we have Concrete Cole and Dumptruck versus the Yellow Lion, and our newest competitor... Red Lioooooon!" He called into the microphone. "Let the match... BEGIN!"

Hunk and one of the builders ( _Dumptruck?_ ) ran towards each other. At the last second, Hunk shifted his weight so that he struck Dumptruck across the face. Dumptuck fell over, and it seemed it would be a quick match, but Concrete Cole snuck up behind Hunk and slammed a traffic cone on his head, blocking his vision. The announcer made a joke about the attack, but Keith blocked him out. _That was totally cheating!_ he seethed.

"It might not seem fair, but anything goes in wrestling." Mr. Announcer said.

 _Anything goes, huh?_ Keith smirked evilly. Hunk was trying really hard to yank the traffic cone off his head. While Dumptruck was still out, the other guy was trying to push Hunk over. "HEY!" Keith yelled. Hunk's attacker turned around, and Keith punched him in the face, the same way Hunk had punched his opponent earlier. Concrete Cole fell to the ground, out cold. Hunk yanked the cone off his head.

He looked at Keith, jaw hitting the floor. But it closed when Mr. Announcer declared them the winners.

"Good job." Hunk told his friend, both smiling wide and proud, even as the audience booed them off the stage.

...

For the next few weeks, Hunk and Keith snuck out almost every night to go wrestle. It was a fun secret between the two of them, although there were several times Blue and Shiro had come close to figuring it out. Keith had once left his mask on, and worn it around the house for nearly two hours before Shiro noticed it. "What's that?" he asked. Hunk had been heading into the kitchen and had heard the question. Both of the secret wrestlers stumbled over each other before Keith blurted out that it was part of an old Halloween costume.

The second time they almost found out is when Keith had dropped a ticket stub in the living room. Blue had picked it up, and given him questioning look. He had simply snatched it from her, and told her it was a grocery store receipt. He couldn't tell if she believed him or not, but she hadn't said anything. Another time Shiro had found Keith's costume mixed in with his laundry. Keith had not been present for that incident, but according to Hunk, it had been a tricky one to find a way out of.

For the weeks the pair spent wrestling, Keith learned more and more about fighting. Hunk taught him all sorts of tricks. He learned how to one of those cool moves in anime and old karate movies where you dodge a punch and kick someone's legs out from underneath them. He learned how to strike people, where it would hurt, and what part of his arm to use. Keith loved learning how to fight. "I don't understand why the others waited so long to teach me anything." he said to Hunk after one match.

It was a clear night, and the two were walking home together. Hunk thought for a moment. "Blue didn't really want you to get hurt and Shiro thought you were a bit too impatient." Hunk told him. "Guess I just went along with it."

"I wouldn't hurt myself." Keith defended. Hunk raised an eyebrow. "No offense Keith, but you are a bit reckless." He told the young Paladin.

"No I'm not!" Keith yelled back.

...

As it turns out, Keith was wrong. He was incredibly reckless. So much, in fact, that he had slammed right into someone's fist and gotten himself a black eye. The Yellow and Red Lions still won their match, but there was no amount of makeup that could hide the black eye from Blue. The next morning she grabbed his face and demanded that he explain himself.

"Well, I was playing baseball with some kids in town, and I got hit in the face." Keith lied. Blue looked at him. She looked past the concealer and eye shadow, into his eyes. Into his very _soul_. "Keith," she asked, "what really happened?"

For a brief second, Keith considered telling her the truth. He didn't. "I got hit in the face with a baseball." he told her. Blue stared at him with another blank look on her face. But she nodded, accepting his answer. "Okay." she smiled. "I trust you." with those words, she left the living room, and went back into the temple.

 _Phew._ Keith thought. _She believed me. But..._

Blue trusted him, and he lied right to her face.

...

"Keith you ready for our big match tonight?" Hunk asked, excited. Keith was sitting on his bed, and looked over. "Hunk, why do we have to lie to Blue and Shiro?" he asked, slightest bit of pain in his voice. Hunk was a little shocked by this question, but he quickly recovered. "Because they wouldn't understand, and they would make us stop." Hunk explained.

"So, does that mean we're bad?" Keith asked. He didn't want to disappoint his friends.

Hunk sighed. "Keith, it doesn't make us bad for liking something other people don't. You shouldn't let anyone make you feel like garbage." Keith looked to Hunk. "Is that how you feel?" he asked. Hunk smiled, and turned towards the loft steps. "It hurts, sometimes, to be talked down to. But you shouldn't let it bother you." His grin grew even wider. "After all, they're just words people use to describe how they feel about you." Somehow, Keith felt a little better.

...

"Residents of Garrison, Fans of wrestling... Welcome to the Tag Team CHAMPIONSHIP!" Mr. Announcer cheered into the microphone. The crowd went crazy. "Tonight we have the Good-Looking Gang vs. The Kings of the Jungle!" The Kings of the Jungle was the name Keith and Hunk had earned for themselves after crushing literally everyone. The Good-Looking Gang was composed of twin brothers who Keith never bothered to learn the names of. It's not like it would matter after tonight. Mr. Announcer ( _I think his real name is Iverson, or something_ ) quickly explained the rules. They were pretty much the same as every other match except you had to grab the Tag Team Belts hanging from the rafters.

One of the Good-Looking Gang members and Hunk got in the ring. The spotlight was shining down on the two wrestlers, they both looked ready to tear each other to pieces. But the spotlight was suddenly cut, and something completely unexpected happened.

Shiro and Blue landed in the ring between the two opponents. "What are you doing?" Hunk asked, alarmed.

Shiro looked mad. "What are you doing?" Shiro asked angrily. "Looks like we have some new opponents!" Iverson announced.

Shiro yanked the microphone out of Iverson's hand. "No! We're not!" he said, loud enough for everyone in the building to hear. "This match is canceled!" The crowd began to protest, shouting boo and spitting out curses.

"Why?" Keith asked, kind of angry himself. "Why? I can't believe you two! Hunk! You _know_ how I feel about this kind of stuff." The last bit was whispered under his breath, to the point where Keith barely heard it. Blue spoke, "We are a team. How do you think it makes us feel that you cannot trust us with something like this?"

Hunk flushed, and then he _growled_. "It's bad enough your always on my case, and now you've got to ruin this for me too!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. Keith felt the anger drain out of him. He had never heard Hunk talk like that. "Hunk, go back to the Temple." Blue ordered, her voice hard.

"I don't want to!" Hunk pushed Blue back as hard as he could. She flew back a few feet, before she regained her balance. Everyone was shocked, letting out gasps of surprise. Except for Blue.

She didn't react. "Don't do this." she warned. Hunk didn't listen. He ran straight at her, swinging his fist at her. She caught it as if it was nothing. Blue sighed, before punching Hunk in the gut. He flew straight into the back wall, leaving a giant indent. Hunk was momentarily dazed, but he quickly regained his senses. Hunk ran at her again, and again. Each time Blue pushed him away, whether it was with a punch or a kick. Soon, the whole building was shaking on its foundation, the pressure too much.

"STOP!" Keith yelled. He snatched the microphone out of Shiro's hand. "We just wanted to come here to have a little fun! It's hard! The pressure can be a bit too much sometimes." he spoke into the microphone. "This is a way to relax, cut loose, have a bit of fun." His words carried to everyone in the gym. The three older Paladins all stared at him.

"Can't we just wrestle?" he asked, questioning look to Blue and Shiro. Blue an Hunk had abandoned their fight, and Blue's sole focus was Keith. She stared at him for a moment. "No." she said with an air of authority to her voice. Everyone in the room was shocked by this response. How could she still say no after that beautiful speech?

"Because we are the evil gang of... wrestling haters." Blue said, obviously lying. _What is she doing?_ Keith wondered. Blue made a "help me" gesture to Shiro. Shiro's eyes widened a fraction, and he nodded. "Yes!" he agreed. "We want to destroy all wrestling, everywhere!" he said dramatically.

"Noooooo!" Hunk cried, getting in on the ruse. "We will stop you, and save all wrestling!" Hunk and Keith ran at their friends, and "attacked" them. Shiro fell over after Keith pretended to hit him, and Blue fell flat on her back after Hunk pretended to punch her.

"Sorry I was so judgmental. You always bottle up your frustrations for the sake of the team. Don't be embarrassed to let them out." Blue smiled at Hunk. He smiled back, dopey grin on his face.

"Hunk." Keith said, gaining the citrine's attention. Hunk looked up, and spotted the tag team belt hanging in the rafters. Understanding what Keith meant, Hunk threw him straight up. Keith latched onto the belt, and brought them bag down to his friend.

And just like that, Yellow Lion and Red Lion became Garrison's new Tag Team Champions.


	10. Keith's Wolf

**DON'T YOU JUST LOVE IT WHEN EVERYTHING COMES TOGETHER? XD**

 **...**

Chapter 10: Keith's Wolf

The four Paladins were traveling through the dessert. It was not the desert surrounding the Garrison, but instead was the Sahara, or something. Keith couldn't remember. It was so hot out here that he had tied his sweatshirt around his waist. "It's too hot."

"Keith, we live in the middle of a desert." Shiro pointed out. Keith sighed. His face was flushed, and he had sweat pooling all over his skin. "But at our dessert, the hottest day of the year is still just 102°. It's like... 108° out here!" Keith complained. "Why are we even out here?" he questioned.

Blue held up a hand, and shushed them. Looking around, the dessert was a beautiful sight. It was mostly flat, with a few hills here and there. And all around the four Paladins were random columns and walls, made entirely out of sand. It was a strange sight.

"The energy in this place has become unstable." Blue explained.

"It's building columns with no roofs, and stairs that go nowhere. It's out of control." Shiro backed her up.

Hunk stepped in front of them, and smiled. "Then we better get over there!" But before the Paladins took two step forward, they heard a loud noise, almost like an animal. Keith looked around. There wasn't anything. The Paladins didn't share his concern. "Let's go." Hunk said enthusiastically. He took off towards the source of the magic.

"Keith, stay here. Keep a lookout." Shiro commanded, following after Hunk.

"What if something eats me?" Keith called out towards his friends. But they were already out of earshot, except for Blue. She had stayed with him.

She ran a hand though Keith's mullet. "Don't worry, wet one." She withdrew her hand and slung his sweat in his face. "There's nothing out here that can hurt you." Blue patted his shoulder, before running after the other two Paladins. Keith scowled after her. _Wet one..._ he thought with disdain. _What kind of nickname is that?_

He walked over to one of the giant columns, and sat on the shaded side. He took a couple of deep breaths, and closed his eyes. _Why does the desert always have to be so hot?_

Keith heard the growl again. He peered around the the sand. He didn't see anything. "Nothing can harm me." he said to himself. "I am the wet one." Then, he finally spotted what the source of the noise was. A wolf. Keith stared at it.

It was huge. At least eight feet long, and five feet tall. It had thick, shiny fur, and it was pink. But even without the huge appearance, or the pink fur, there was still something strange about it. It was covered in little patches of different shades of pink, each one forming a symbol. The symbol looked familiar, but Keith couldn't put his finger on it. All in all, this definitely wasn't a normal wolf.

Keith wasn't afraid of it until it turned it's head towards him. Its eyes were completely yellow, and glowing.

Keith's breath hitched, and he ran behind the column. _Alright, I need a plan for escape_. he decided. Before he could finish is thoughts, the column hiding him vanished completely. Keith turned, gasping as the wolf had appeared behind him. He backed away, tripping over a rock. He landed on his butt, but he continued to back away, up until he found himself pressed into a wall made of sand. _This is it_.

But the wolf didn't hurt him. Instead, it just stared at Keith. Keith's eyes darted around. Was this thing going to attack him, or what?

It just sat down, looking like it was asleep. Keith stared at it. So, it wasn't going to eat him. Did that mean it wouldn't attack if he got closer? To test this theory, Keith put his hand behind the wolf's ear. When the wolf didn't immediately bite his hand off, Keith began to scratch it. The wolf opened its eyes. Instead of the pure yellow he had seen earlier, he noted it was just the irises of his eyes that appeared yellow. The pupils and whites were pure black, like pools of mercury. Keith looked into the wolf's eyes, and sat down in front of it. It put its head in his lap.

Keith's face heated up. He continued to scratch behind its ears.

 _What are you?_ He wanted to ask. But before he could get the words out, there was a loud explosion, and a cloud of sand expanded across the desert. The cloud passed quickly, but it was thick enough to cover Keith and the wolf in sand.

Their heads quickly broke through the top of the sand blanket. Keith could hear his friends coming.

"Hunk, you need to bubble that away." said Shiro.

Hunk scoffed. "No way! I beat it, so I get to keep it. Those are the rules. Right, Blue?" Blue nodded. "Those are, in fact, the rules."

Shiro sighed. "Fine. Just don't let it touch the sand again, or else it will rebuild everything." The Paladins looked to the spot they had left Keith, before gasping. "Keith! What is that?!" Shiro asked, startled. Keith turned to his friends. "Don't worry!" he said, smiling. "He's totally tame!"

"You don't know that!" Shiro said, alarmed.

Keith glared at Shiro. "Yes I do!" Keith protested. _How do I prove he's tame?_ he wondered. Then an idea came to him. "Look! I taught him to say I love you!" Keith put his hands on the wolf's mouth, moving its lips like a puppet. "I love you!" he said in a deeper voice.

Shiro raised an eyebrow. He looked ready to say something, but Hunk spoke first. "That's so sweet!" he giggled. "I love you too!" Shiro face-palmed.

Blue put her hands on her hips. "Keith, get your hands out of his mouth. That's very rude." she scolded. Keith withdrew his hands from the wolf's face. "We should get the Desert Glass away from here." she finished.

"I got it!" Hunk said.

Shiro snorted. "Keith, you coming?" he asked the youngest Paladin. Keith nodded. He looked back at the wolf. "Bye." he told him, before running after his friends.

"Hunk, you need to find a way to contain that pillow." Shiro said. Hunk smiled. "I already have the perfect idea." he said happily.

...

Apparently, the perfect idea was to build a pillow fort in the living room and stick the Desert Glass on top. Hunk and Keith were sleeping inside the incredible pillow fort when Keith heard a scratching sound. "What's that noise?" he asked, delirious.

Hunk shifted so that he was lying on his belly. "The only noise I hear is you." he replied, equally delirious. "I thought gems don't need sleep." Keith observed. Hunk adjusted his position again, so now he was on his side. "We don't. It feels good though." Hunk explained.

Keith got up, and walked over to the front door. Something outside the shack was making that noise. He yanked open the door with an angry "What?"

He felt annoyed that someone would come all the way out here just to interrupt his nap, but that feeling completely vanished when he realized who it was.

The wolf.

Keith gasped. "It's you!" He came outside, shutting the door behind him. "What are you doing here?" he questioned. The wolf answered by pressing his face into the door behind Keith. "You can't go in there. Hunk is pretend sleeping." Keith explained, blocking the door. The wolf continued to press towards the door.

Keith scowled. "Are hungry or something?" The wolf looked down at him. _Guess that's a yes._ he decided. "Come on. I know the perfect place."

...

Keith and the wolf came up to a bright shop. The sign read "Balmeran Pizza." They made delicious pizza, and Keith would often come here with his friends. He led the wolf up to the door. "Wait here." he commanded, and walked inside.

The inside was just as colorful as the outside. Keith walked up to the counter. "Shay, I need an extra large meat-covered pizza." Shay was a very tall girl, with short hair she kept pulled up into two buns on either side of her head, almost like Princess Leia. Another defining characteristic were the large hoop earrings she always wore. She was probably the literal nicest person in Garrison.

"You must be very hungry." she observed. Keith smiled. "It's actually for me and this giant wolf I met earlier today."

"And _howled_ did you meet him?" Shay asked, inputting the order.

"Out in the desert while on a mission." he replied, ignoring the terrible pun. They continued to talk for a little while, before Keith's pizza came. "Enjoy!" Shay told him.

Keith walked out of the store, ready to share the delicious pizza with the wolf. Except he wasn't there.

...

Keith walked into the shack, and looked around. He set the pizza in the kitchen. Keith had thought that if the wolf had gone somewhere, maybe it would come back here, but he was wrong. He left the kitchen to go back to the pillow fort. And _there_ was the wolf. It was standing next to the fort, staring off into space.

"What is it?" Keith asked. The wolf didn't look away from the fort. Instead, he blew a giant burst of air from his mouth. The gust of air smashed into the fort. Hunk, who had been sleeping inside, didn't even stir as he was thrown into the back walls with some of the pillows.

Keith turned to the wolf. "Why..." he trailed off as the wolf picked up the pillow from the desert mission in his mouth, and took off towards the door. Keith, panicked, chased after him. He grabbed the pillow just as the wolf made it on the porch. The two had a tug of war game with it before Keith yanked it out of the wolf's jaws.

But Keith had pulled too hard, and it slipped from his grasp, landing on the sand. It began to build its sand structures once again.

Keith ran out to grab it, but it built a giant tower to put itself out of reach. More sand structures, columns, walls, stairs, began to build themselves across the lake shore.

"Keith!" Shiro called out. The Paladins all came out on the porch, and stared in horror. Keith could hear them argue, but he was more invested in the mess in front of him.

"Don't move! We'll come get you!" Blue instructed. Keith had an "okay" on his tongue, but a thick cloud of sand swept around the lake side, blocking Keith's view. Keith looked around frantically, before spotting the pillow. He had to get to it.

As Keith desperately climbed up stairs and structures, the other Paladins made attempts in break through the cloud. It was just too thick, and it was constantly building walls to protect the Desert Glass. There was no way to get inside to help Keith.

...

Keith was barely holding onto the ledge. Below him were large, sharp spike. _Crap._ Keith thought. His grip was about to break, his eyes were burning, and he could barely breathe.

Just as he slipped, though, he felt himself land on something soft. It was the wolf's back.

The wolf landed away from the spikes, and his eyes darted towards Keith. "You came here to protect us, not steal from us, right?" he asked him. The wolf, did nothing to reply, but Keith could practically hear the "yes." What happened next was mostly a blur to Keith. He rode on the wolf's back like it was a horse, and the wolf blew his gusts of air into just about everything that made its way towards the two. Eventually, the wolf managed to get to the very top of the pillow's tower, and Keith snatched it off the sand.

Every structure around them dissolved back into sand, and Keith landed on the ground with a thud. Shiro and the others rushed over to him. After confirming he was okay and bubbling the Desert Glass, Keith walked back over to the wolf. "Well, thanks." he said to the wolf. He expected the wolf to leave then, but instead, it plopped down on the sand, and curled up.

"Do you want to stay here?" Keith questioned. The wolf did not move a millimeter, but Keith got the "yes" sense again. "Okay then." Keith said happily. He sat down next to the giant pink wolf, and scratched behind his ears.

"Should we really let him keep that?" Shiro asked Blue. Blue shrugged. "We kept Hunk." Shiro and Hunk stared at her for a second before what she had said sunk in. Hunk crossed his arms, an angry look on his face. Shiro, on the other hand, burst out laughing. "Kept... Hunk!" he laughed so hard that he had to clutch his sides. "Blue... you are hysterical!"

Hunk scoffed, and walked over to Keith. "So, what are you going to call him?" Hunk questioned. Keith shrugged. "He'll tell me his name when he's ready." Keith said.

"Nope. That's not a thing." Blue said, walking over to them. She placed a hand on the wolf's back. "We should name him Cosmo."

Keith opened his mouth to protest, but the rest of the Paladins chimed in their agreements. "Fine." Keith caved. "Your name is Cosmo." Cosmo stared at Keith for a moment, before giving off a new feeling. One that could only be described as "friend."


	11. Arcade Mania

**I am going on** **vacation** **with my family next week, and I don't think I'll be able to get the next chapter out until the week after, but mark my words...**

 **I _will_ have the next chapter out by October 22. **

**Okay, story time.**

 **...**

Chapter 11: Arcade Mania

Keith and his fellow Paladins were on a mission in a cave deep underground. It was a mission to find a monster that had been drilling holes in the cave, making the ground above unstable. This was making sinkholes pop up, and it was putting people in danger. The problem was, the Paladins didn't realize, that the ground of the cave was unstable as well. Everyone was shocked when Keith suddenly dropped into a sinkhole that opened up under him.

He would have fallen to his death if it weren't for Blue diving down after him and catching him. She set him on the ground. "You okay?" she asked. Keith nodded. They were inside a giant room they had not spotted before. A huge monster was in it.

It looked like a giant rock with tentacles and a large drill on the bottom. It had similar, smaller drills all over its body, which it began to launch at Blue and Keith. Blue pushed Keith out of the way, while expertly dodging the small spikes.

Shiro and Hunk landed next to him. Shiro had his gauntlet out. "Get Keith to safety." he ordered Hunk. Hunk picked Keith off the ground and carried him away.

"What about Blue?" Keith asked. Hunk smiled. "She'll be fine." And she was fine. As the monster swung its tentacles at her, she dodged them easily. Blue hopped on top of one of the tentacles, and ran up it before sliding down it towards the monster's drill. The drill broke apart, revealing smaller tentacles. They swatted at Blue, but she sliced at them with her scythe. She spun the scythe in a large circle like helicopter blades before punching up suddenly into the center of the tentacles.

The monster exploded into dust, and Blue emerged from the cloud carrying a bubble.

"The little ones are drilling away!" Shiro pointed towards the parasites. Hunk smiled. "I got it." he said happily, diving into one of the holes. He got lodged in the ground, just his legs unbound by the dirt. "Let them go. If they want to be a problem, they can take it up with me." Blue interrupted. She touched the top of her bubble, sending it away.

Blue walked over to Hunk and pulled him out of the ground by the legs.

"I swallowed a rock." he whined.

...

"Where are we going, exactly?" Shiro asked. Keith smiled. "You guys worked hard, and you deserve a break." he answered. About twenty minutes of walking later, they arrived at Funland Arcade.

"Don't you need money for this place?" Hunk questioned. Keith the three Paladins each a small bag. "There's about five dollars worth of quarters in there, so don't loose it." Keith instructed. He walked his fellow Paladins over to the first game. It was one of those simulation games where you sit in a chair and moves some handles next to you to drive. "This is called Space Race. Just fly the rocket through the asteroid field without blowing up." Keith explained. "It'll be great for you, Shiro."

Shiro looked between Keith and the game. He really didn't want to be here, but Keith _was_ counting on him. "Okay." Shiro agreed. He put a couple of quarters in, hopped in the seat, and started playing.

After getting Shiro settled, the Paladins made their way over to Skee-Ball. "If you do good," Keith told Hunk, "you get tickets, which you can use to get prizes." Keith pointed to the prize stand. A teenager behind the desk took a bunch of tickets from a kid, and handed him a gigantic prize. _A drone_. Hunk let out a little gasp. He instantly put in two quarters, and started playing.

...

Keith wasn't sure what game Blue would want to play. "How about you try this one?" he suggested, walking up to one of those classic arcade fighting games. It had a joystick for moving, and buttons for jumping, punching, and kicking. It was called Street Fighterz. "Here, pick a character." Keith instructed. Blue picked a ninja and fairy wings.

"Fairy Ninja? Nice. I think his special move is jump, hit, kick, jump back, forward kick, jump kick..." Keith trailed off, forgetting the rest. "Just punch, and you'll do fine." he finished. The first level started, and the game gave a little, "BEGIN!"

Blue assessed her opponent for a second, before punching the game's screen. Her fist went straight through the glass, and the game sparked. She pulled her hand back out. "I did it." she said proudly.

Keith mouth was hanging open. "We should go." he said, grabbing her hand, and yanking her along.

...

"This game doesn't have any violence." Keith said. He brought Blue up to a mariachi-themed game that had a title Keith had no hope of pronouncing. It was at least twice the size of all the other games, and was at the very front of the arcade. "Just shake the maracas to the beat." Keith instructed, handing her the instruments.

A little mariachi player appeared on screen, and pointed in the direction Blue was supposed to point the maracas. Keith smiled. Blue looked like she was having fun.

"I'm going to go check on Hunk and Shiro." he said, leaving Blue to her game.

Keith went back over to Shiro first. He was moving quickly, yanking the joysticks back and forth. "You okay, Shiro?" Keith asked.

Shiro shushed him. "I'm the zone." he said, not taking his eyes off the screen. Keith nodded, understanding completely. He went to check on Hunk.

Hunk had climbed on top of the Skee-Ball game, and was throwing the balls directly into the holes. For every ball that went in, he got more and more tickets. "Hunk! What are you doing?" Keith demanded. Hunk looked at Keith, a large smile on his face. "I'm going to win a drone!" he said innocently.

"That's cheating!" Keith said, jaw clenched. He ran over and grabbed Hunk by his arm. "You're going to get us in trouble." he scolded. "HEY!" an authoritative voice called out.

The two turned towards the man. It was the owner, Iverson. "Do you know what happened to Street Fighterz?"

Keith yanked Hunk bye his arm. "Nope!" He ran over to Space Race. "We got to go!" He yanked Shiro's arm, dragging both him and Hunk along. Space Race buzzed. "Game over..." Shiro groaned. "So close." he whispered.

The Paladins made their way to the exit. "Blue, we're leaving." Keith called out over his shoulder. Blue didn't respond, still immersed in the music game. Keith was going to grab her and drag her along to, but Iverson came around the towards them, an angry look on his face. Keith paled. "See you at home!" he called out to her.

...

"So what's today's mission?" Keith asked the next morning. He and his fellow Paladins were at the kitchen table. Shiro was ready _The Daily Garrison,_ Hunk was messing around with an old clock, and Keith was eating some Honey Loops for breakfast. Shiro looked up from his newspaper. "Nothing for today." he said. Keith nodded, and went back to his bowl.

After twenty seconds of awkward silence, Keith spoke again. "Where's Blue?" he asked. Hunk shrugged. "She goes off on adventures by herself all the time. So, wherever she is, it's probably important." he answered.

Keith nodded. He swallowed his last mouthful of Honey Loops, and put his bowl in the sink. "I'm going beach combing." he told his friends. He grabbed his metal detector.

"Okay. Have fun." Shiro said absentmindedly.

...

After hours of nothing but pennies, nickels, and old hubcaps (that one gad been a letdown) Keith finally stumbled upon a quarter. It was big, and shiny, and definitely not worth the wait.

Still, Keith pocketed it, and continued his search. He found another one by the cliffs next to Garrison. But as he reached to pick it up, something wrapped around his hand. It almost looked like a star fish. Keith reacted like anyone else would in this situation, and shrieked like a little girl while flailing his arm around.

He eventually managed to fling the starfish off his hand, and it flew up into the air. Keith realized, then, that it was not a starfish, but the little pieces of the monster from earlier. And it wasn't alone. Suddenly, several more of the parasites joined the first one, and they switched into little drills.

The drills flew straight at Keith. He swung at them with his metal detector, but it did nothing. Dozens of the little drills appeared. They moved towards him, ready to rip him to shreds. But Shiro sliced right through the ones coming at Keith. "Keith, go find Blue." he instructed the youngest Paladin. "We'll need her help."

Keith nodded. _I know exactly where she is._

...

Keith ran into the arcade. "Blue!" he yelled. It failed to gain her attention. She was laser focused on the game in front of her. To be honest, Keith was impressed. As far as he knew, no one had ever made it that far in the game. But there was no time to waste.

"Blue!" Keith said forcefully. She still didn't respond. Keith let out a frustrated growl. He had to get her to help! Why wouldn't she answer? Keith grabbed on tight to her waist, and hoisted himself up. He slowly made his way up her body, eventually finding himself sitting on her shoulders. He waved his hand in front of her face. Still no response.

"What's wrong with you?" Keith asked. He parted her bangs, and looked directly into her eyes. The two lower eyes were staring straight ahead, the normal yellow color, but the third one on her forehead was moving around, constantly changing color. "She's gone full gamer." he realized.

He slid off her back, and ran over to the outlet. He grabbed the game's plug, and jerked it out. The screen went dark, and the music stopped. Blue stared blankly ahead for a moment, before throwing the maracas up in the air, and walking up to the game. She put her hands on the screen. Her hands glowed a soft, light blue, and the game lit up again. She caught the maracas, and moved them around, picking up right were she had left off.

Keith let out a frustrated growl, and pulled out two quarters. "Fine." he said decisively. "If you won't snap out of it."

"New player!" the game chimed. Keith picked up another set a maracas, and started shaking them around to match the screen. Eventually, though, he could no longer keep up with the beat, and he lost. He put in a couple more quarters. This was his last chance. He _would_ save his friends. He could hear Hunk and Shiro fighting off the drills, and it motivated him further.

He shook the maracas around like there was no tomorrow. But once again he lost, and now he was out of quarters. "Blue, snap out of it!" Keith yelled. Her bangs were still parted, and she looked on at the screen, unconcerned.

Keith felt his anger spike. He walked over to the game, and stared directly into the screen. He punched straight through it, causing a shower of glass and sparks.

Blue closed her eyes, and put a hand to her temple."Keith." she said, voice full of concern. When she opened her eyes, they trailed down to Keith. "You beat it." she said proudly. She took the hand that had been on her temple, and snapped it down. Her bangs fell in front of her eyes again, and she ran out to help her friends fight.

...

Keith had wanted to help with the fighting too, but Iverson hadn't caught him.


	12. Giant Man

**So, I had a good time with my family, and I enjoyed our trip, but at the same time, I was trapped in a place with no internet for a week.**

 **I'm basically saying that I wrote most of this from memory, and I really hope it doesn't show. Anyway... ENJOY!**

 **...**

Chapter 12: Giant Man

Keith sat in the lifeguard chair, observing his friends' game of checkers. His focus was completely on the game, and his arms were full of water balloons, ready to punish the Paladins for each mistake they made. Shiro inspected the checker board, looking for an opening. He moved one of his pieces forward, confident he had made the right decision. But Hunk stole the piece with a quick swipe.

Shiro groaned, and a water balloon hit him in the face. "Is that really necessary?" Shiro asked Keith. Keith nodded. "You guys take forever. I've got to do something to keep myself awake." Hunk nodded. "Plus, now the moves really matter." he added.

Shiro frowned. "It's checkers. Every move matters."

Hunk smirked. "Are you being a sore loser, Shiro?" he asked.

Shiro inhaled sharply. "No," he said, "because I just won the game." Shiro picked up one of his checkers and hopped it over Hunk's remaining pieces.

Hunk dropped his jaw. He let out a sigh. "I accept my fate." Hunk spread out his arms dramatically, and Keith dropped the remaining water balloons on him. Hunk laughed. Keith shuddered. "Don't you hate the cold?" He asked.

Hunk shrugged. "The cold is like losing: After awhile, you just get used to it." he explained. Shiro cleared his throat. "I hope that's not your attitude in battle." he said. Hunk rolled his eyes. He stood up, and put his hands on his hips.

"You're no fun anymore." he said. "This is why we don't fuse."

Shiro's eyes narrowed. "We don't fuse because you get sick all the time."

Hunk flushed. "We don't fuse because you're uptight and..." Hunk said angrily. He tried to think of something else to say, but nothing came to mind.

"What's 'fusing?'" Keith asked.

The two older Paladins looked over towards Keith, who had hopped down from the lifeguard chair. Hunk was the first to answer.

"Fusion is when two gems combine into one." he said.

"There's a bit more to it than that." Shiro cut in. "When Hunk and I synchronize our forms, we can fuse into a single entity named Vermilion." He clarified. Keith stared at them. _How is something like that even possible?_

"Can you do it right now?" He asked, curious.

Hunk and Shiro both shook their heads. "We only fuse in deadly situations." Shiro explained.

"Then tell me more about Vermilion." said Keith. Hunk smiled. He put a hand on Keith's back, guided him back towards the house.

"He's a super genius who is fiercely loyal and incredibly strong. That part's me." The smile left his face. "And he's kind of tall. That part's Shiro." Shiro scoffed.

"That's not how it works." He said, storming off after them.

...

A couple of hours later, the three Paladins were sitting in the living room, each doing their own tasks. But they all left their places when Blue warped in. They all made their way over to her.

"Was your mission a success?" Shiro asked. Blue nodded.

"I've located the Geode Beetles of Heaven and Earth." She said.

"Good." Shiro said. "We should split up."

Hunk snorted. "Then I'm not going with Shiro."

"Hunk," Shiro warned.

"I'm going alone." Blue cut in. The three Paladins looked to her. "What?" They said simultaneously. Blue shrugged. "The Earth Beetle is at the bottom of the Boiling Lava Lake, and I'm the only one who can swim in lava." She put on a pair of goggles, ( _Where did she get those from?_ ) and continued explaining. "You three should go get the Heaven Beetle at the top of the Sky Spire. It's safer."

Hunk nodded, and smiled. "I am all about safety." He said happily.

"Alright." Shiro agreed. Hunk and Shiro all climbed onto the warp pad. Keith went after them, but Blue grabbed his hand. "Keith." She said. He looked up at her.  
She had a serious look on her face, hardened with what looked like frustration. "I hate it when they can't get along. Try to keep the peace, okay?" She said. Keith nodded, and went after them.

...

They warped into a mountainside that was covered in forest. Beyond it were several more mountains, and one particularly tall one reached up into the clouds. "The Heaven Beetle lives at the top." Hunk explained, pointing at the tallest mountain.

"It's about a two-hour hike." Shiro said.

"How about you fuse into Vermilion and carry me up the mountain?" Keith suggested.

"Because we only fuse for deadly situations." Hunk told the youngest Paladin.

"Exactly." Shiro agreed. Keith groaned. "But it would be a lot faster, wouldn't it?" Keith asked. Shiro shook his head. "Keith, doing the job right is better than doing it fast. Remember: patience yields focus."

Keith squinted. "Okay, but I still have some questions." he told them. "Like... when you fuse, do you turn into like, a GIANT, giant man or..." They didn't answer. _Okay, next._

"Is Vermilion a pearl or a citrine?" he asked.

Shiro paused. "Vermilion is a chalcedony." He said, walking away. _He's avoiding my questions_. Keith thought. "If you ate something, would it go into one of your stomachs, or do you share the same stomach?"

Hunk turned brighter orange. "No! That's disgusting!" He cried. Hunk started walking faster, trying to avoid Keith's questions. Keith rolled his eyes. _What is wrong with these people?_

...

After several minutes of intense hiking, the Paladins came across a ravine. It was wide, and had several large floating rocks spread across it. It would definitely be a challenge to cross.

"If you two fused into Vermilion, then you could across the rocks like a bridge." Keith suggested.

Shiro and Hunk both groaned. "We don't need Vermilion to get across." Keith scowled. _How am I supposed to understand fusion if they won't fuse?_

"We just need to find a way across." said Shiro. Hunk nodded, and jumped on the first rock. Keith followed after him, and Shiro behind him.

About halfway across the way, Keith slipped. It wasn't a big slip, but Hunk and Shiro noticed. "Are you okay?" Shiro asked.  
Keith huffed out a laugh. "Yeah. I'm fine." he jumped, and landed perfectly to prove his point. "See?" His point was blown out of the water as the rock under him cracked and broke apart.

Keith screamed as he plummeted to the unknown dangers at the bottom of the ravine. But not long after he began his decent, Keith felt Hunk's arms wrap around him. He tilted his head so he was looking at his friends.

Hunk had his arms wrapped around Keith's waist, and Shiro was gripping Hunk's foot. Shiro was holding onto the side of a nearby rock. He sighed in relief, and slung Hunk and Keith up towards the top.

Once they got on top, Hunk reached a hand down to help Shiro up.

"That was cool." Keith said. "Why don't you always work together like that?" He asked. Hunk and Shiro didn't answer, choosing instead to finish crossing the ravine. Keith groaned, exasperated. "I just want to see you become a giant man." He whined.

...

The path up the mountain was a difficult one. The Paladins faced many different obstacles, such as a giant waterfall or the stairs that go on forever. The whole time, Keith observed his friends. They both seemed... tense.

That was the only way to describe it. They seemed to avoid each other, only speaking when it was necessary, and keeping their eyes on the trail at all times.

 _What is going on with them?_

But eventually, they made it to the top of the Sky Spire.

Keith peered around. "What's this?" He asked, running up to a small temple sitting in the middle of the room. Shiro followed after him. "It's the Beetle's home." He explained.  
Keith bent down, and looked inside. There was some kind of bedroom, with a desk, band posters, and a comfy looking bed. _But..._

"Where's the Beetle?" Shiro questioned. He was looking into the tiny temple as well. There wasn't any sign of it.

"It wouldn't just leave, would it?" Hunk asked. He looked around the Spire roof. "It could be anywhere!" He gasped.  
"Yes, and freaking out is going to help us find it." Shiro said. Hunk growled.

"Why are you always so condescending?" Hunk asked. Shiro scrunched up his nose. He marched over towards Hunk. "I'm always so condescending because I have high expectations for my team." Hunk scoffed. "Or maybe they're just unrealistic expectations!"

They continued to squabble, leaving Keith to his own thoughts. _Why are they acting like this over a stupid, magic bug?_

Keith scowled. "Can you two stop?" He yelled angrily, stepping in between them. The two older Paladins stopped for a second, ready to chew Keith out for interrupting their argument, but the sudden appearance of a giant monster bird stunned them into silence.

Hunk pulled out his gun, and started to fire at the bird. It opened its mouth, and caught the laser beams in its beak. Hunk gasped, not expecting that.

"In here!" Shiro yelled, leading them down the Spire steps into one of its chambers. The Paladins pressed themselves against the back wall, as far away from the entrance as possible. The bird stuck it beak in through the doorway, snapping at them.

It continued to snap, before realizing that it wouldn't be able to reach them, and flying away.

But it wasn't completely gone. It rammed itself into the Sky Spire, trying to crack the walls.

"Would now be a good time to fuse?" Keith asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Shiro sighed, and put a hand to his gem. He pulled out an old iPod, and looked over to Hunk. Hunk pursed his lips, and made his way over to the center of the room. Shiro hit a button on the iPod and moved to that he was a few feet away from Hunk.

Some music started to play, and both Hunk and Shiro's gems began to glow. They both started to dance, and moved towards each other.

Something was off, though. Hunk was tap dancing, slow paced to match the steady beat. Shiro was moving more fast-paced, strong and confident in his movement. It didn't look like their styles would mix well. As they came to the center of the room, Hunk grabbed Shiro's arm. He meant to spin him around, but Shiro tripped over Hunk's leg. It looked like he was going to fall on top of Hunk, but they both began to glow instead. Their bodies turned into light, the same way they did when shape-shifting, and the new form began to rise up. Keith stared in awe.

The new form, however, wasn't stable, and the two gems split apart. They both landed on their backs, groaning. Hunk was the first to recover. "Want to try again?" he asked sarcastically.

Shiro glared at him. "It would have worked if you had tried to sync with my dancing." he shot back.

Hunk scoffed. "You want to talk about not trying to sync? You should know how I dance by now!"

"Stop it!" Keith screamed. Shiro and Hunk turned towards him. "If you two can't fuse, then we are all going to be eaten by a giant BIRD!" Keith yelled angrily. Shiro and Hunk were once again ready to chew him out for interrupting their argument, but the monster bird's beak burst through the ceiling. It grabbed Keith in its beak, and swallowed the poor boy whole. "KEITH!" The Paladins screamed. The bird squawked at them, and flew away from the Sky Spire.

...

Keith observed his surroundings. Even if he had never been taught what goes on in a digestive track, he was pretty sure that a stomach wasn't supposed to look like this.  
It was just one giant pocket, and the walls had little shards embedded in them. The floor was covered in bones from what were probably goats.

One of the goat skulls had something in its jaw. Keith pulled it out. It was the Heaven Beetle. _Great. I found the magic bug, but I'm stuck in a giant bird._ he thought.

Just as he thought this, a fist punched through the bird's stomach. Keith screamed in fear, and ran away from it. More fists popped up in his path, and grabbed at him. One of them grabbed Keith, and yanked him out of the bird. Keith and the giant thing that grabbed him plummeted towards the earth, before touching down on top of the Sky Spire.

Keith looked up to the large creature, confused. But then he realized what was going on. It was Vermilion.

He was tall, at least 20 feet, and broad shouldered, with four arms and bright red skin. His orange eyes were shaped like Hunk's, and his head was shaped like Shiro's. He had the same shaggy hair as Hunk, but it was spikier, and had Shiro's forelock, all of which was a light orange. Vermilion was wearing what looked like Hunk's headband and vest, but the rest of his clothes matched Shiro's.

He didn't notice Keith's stare, too focused on the bird. All the hits had taken their toll, and the bird split up into a million smaller birds. Some of the birds broke away from the the flock, and dived-bombed them. Vermilion dodged them, running towards the large Spire staircase. He slid down the stairs, before launching off the end of them and land on another nearby mountain.

"Stay low." he told Keith. Vermilion stepped in front of the young boy, and summoned both Shiro's gauntlet and Hunk's gun from his gems. The two weapons glowed, and Hunk's gun fused onto Shiro's gauntlet to make an arm cannon.

The arm cannon charged, and Vermilion had to use his three unequipped arms to steady it. A bust of light came from the arm cannon, destroying the forms of the monster birds and reducing them to shards. The blast also seemed to bubble the shards as well. As the orange bubbles formed around the small shards, Vermilion turned back towards Keith.

Keith suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Do you know who I am?' he asked the fusion. Vermilion smiled, and bent down. "You wanted a ride, right?" he asked. Keith dropped his jaw, before nodding furiously. Vermilion picked the boy up, and sat him on his shoulder, taking off down the mountain.

...

"We're back!" Keith said happily. He stepped off the warp pad and walked into the living room. Vermilion was too big to fit into the house, so he stayed on the warp pad, out of everyone's way.

Blue looked up from the little terrarium in her hands. "The Heaven Beetle?" She asked. Keith opened his mouth to answer, but Vermilion cut him off. "I don't have it!"

There was a bright flash of light, and Vermilion unfused. "Hunk, why didn't you grab it?" Shiro demanded. Hunk scoffed. "Sorry for trying to save Keith!"

While they bickered, Keith pulled the Heaven Beetle out of his jacket pocket. He handed it over to Blue. She placed it in the terrarium with the Earth Beetle, and bubbled the terrarium.

Blue smiled. "You managed to retrieve the Heaven Beetle, and you helped your team members fuse." She praised. She ruffled his hair. "Nice one, mullet."

Shiro and Hunk stopped arguing to listen to Blue. Her words sunk in. She was right. They had put aside their differences and managed to fuse.

Despite the stress of the day, the two Paladins smiled.


	13. So Many Birthdays

**This one was a little late, and I want to say it was because I was trying to get back into the swing of things from fall break, but that would be a lie. I was lazy. It was** **difficult to write this chapter, because I wasn't sure how to write Keith, but I think I did a good job. Or not.** **Probably** **not. You tell me.**

 **ENJOY!**

 **...**

Chapter 13: So Many Birthdays

"What are we looking for?" Keith asked, looking through the storage section of Hunk's room. It was a bit too crowded for a part of Hunk's room. The storage room was filled with old junk from a long time ago, like old guns, ancient clothing, fancy jewelry, etc. Keith's personal favorite was the terracotta warrior.

"Just an old painting." Shiro said. He was near an old bookshelf full of historical records. He showed one to Keith. "It was painted by a famous artist, and it has his signature on it." Shiro explained, pointing at a picture of the signature. Keith nodded, before pulling a painting out from behind a suit of armor. "Is this it?" he asked, holding it up.

"YES!" Hunk said happily, popping up from under a pile of old, fancy pillows. "I thought this was lost forever!" Hunk said. He walked out of the storage and hung the painting up over one of his desks. Keith and Shiro joined him. Keith stared at the old painting. It was of the Paladins, including Keith's mom. They were out in a wooden boat, and Shiro and Hunk were helping people into the boat while Krolia was steering the boat from the back. Blue was at the front of the boat, punching a... shark?

"I remember this." Blue said, walking into the room. "It took forever to get the shark to pose right." She put an elbow on top of Hunk's head and leaned on him. "Why'd you get it out again?" Hunk smiled.

"Well, you see..." Hunk then went into a long rant about how he thought the painting would compliment this particular work space, but Keith tuned him out. He was too focused on the painting in front of him. His mother looked just as strong and confident as she did in every other photo he had ever seen of her. Her magenta hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and her face was set in determination. Something that struck him as odd was that she was wearing an old-timey tunic instead of her usual outfit.

In fact, all of the gems were wearing clothes from a log time ago. Shiro was dressed in one of the fancy outfits officers wore in the American Revolution and one of those silly hats. Hunk was wearing an old explorer outfit, and had a musket slung over his shoulder. And Blue was wearing an old barmaid dress with her hair in a thick braid.

"Why are you guys and Mom dressed like you're from a long time ago?" Keith asked.

The Paladins ceased their discussion on the painting and turned to Keith. "That is us from a long time ago." Shiro answered.

A puzzled look appeared on Keith's face. "So that would mean..." A thought occurred to him. He didn't really know his friend's age."How old are you guys?" Keith questioned.

Shiro smiled. "Older then any human, I can tell you that."

"So that's means you live forever?" Keith asked. Blue shook her head. "No, we don't age, but we can still get hurt and die." She said.

Keith gaped. "So you guys are hundreds of years old?" he questioned. An even bigger question appeared in his brain. "How do you find a cake big enough for all those candles?" he asked.

Hunk frowned. "We don't really celebrate birthdays." he said. "But I will take that cake!" Hunk said, smiling again.

Keith put his hand to his chin. "You guys have never celebrated birthdays..."

It was in that moment, Keith hatched one of his world famous bad ideas.

...

Two hours later, the four Paladins found themselves on the beach. Blue was sitting on a large throne, wearing a faux-fur lined cape and over-the-top crown. On her left was a large table with random party foods (cake with dozens of candles, pigs in blankets, chips and dip), and on her right were the other Paladins and Cosmo, each wearing party hats. Keith smiled. "I'm throwing you all birthday parties, starting with Blue." he declared. "Why am I wearing this?" Blue asked, gesturing to her outfit.

"Coran has taught me much about the importance of appearance in certain situations." Keith explained.

Shiro didn't looked convinced. "Don't you think we're a mature for this ritual?" he asked. Behind him, Hunk smeared icing across the bridge of his nose and began to mimic Shiro's demeanor. Blue burst out giggling, and Keith suppressed a laugh. Shiro was puzzled by this. What could they be laughing at? He turned around to see Hunk.

Hunk panicked, seeing the irritation on Keith's face, and ran off. "Get back here!" Shiro screamed, chasing after the smaller Paladin. Blue sighed, and face-palmed. Keith smiled, hoping she would like the activity he had planned. "Here you go." Keith handed her a baseball bat with a blue ribbon tied around it. Blue stared at him for a moment.

"That's a little cruel, don't you think?" Blue asked, gesturing to her arguing comrades. Keith shook his head. "It's not for them. It's for the piñata."

...

The piñata turned out to be a disaster, but that is a story Keith will suppress until the end of space and time. Instead of reflecting on the horrible event that all four Paladins silently agreed to never bring up again, they decided to focus on Hunk's party.

They moved from the beach to the side of the Temple's mountain. It was a sort of picnic, and Blue and Shiro on the blanket sat with Cosmo behind them and Hunk, now wearing the tacky birthday outfit, in front of them. Keith stood in front of the blanket, wearing a long polka-dotted t-shirt, clown make-up, and a rainbow wig.

"Keith, that is an excellent look on you." Blue complemented. Keith shook his head. "It's supposed to be funny." Keith said.

"How?" Hunk asked. Keith opened his mouth to reply, but paused a moment to think. _How_ was this funny? He shook off the question. _Time to make Hunk smile._ He decided.

"Hunk, do you like pie?" Keith asked. Hunk nodded excitedly. "Yes. I love pie!" he answered.

Keith walked over to a picnic basket he had brought. "Good thing a brought you one then!" Keith said happily. He walked towards Hunk, and purposefully tripped. "Whoops!" he said dramatically, and slammed face first into the pie. "Keith!" the three Paladins cried in alarm. Hunk ran over to help him up[. "Are you okay?"

Keith shrugged. "It's a joke." he said as he removed the pie from his face. "See?" he asked. In any other situation, the three older Paladins would have laughed, but the insides of the pie smeared Keith's makeup, almost making his face resemble a grotesque painting. They just stood there with horrified looks.

 _Well that didn't work._ he concluded. _Time to break out the big guns._

...

Shiro was now garbed in the crown and robe, and Keith presented what he liked to call Race to the Stars. They had moved from the cliff side to a parking lot in town. There were several tiny cars decorated to look like spaceships.

"What are we supposed to do with these?" Hunk asked, examining the toys. "Just ride around." Keith instructed.

"I think we might be too big, Keith." Blue pointed out.

Keith sighed. Okay, not the most thought out idea ever, but still...

"Keith, thank you for the birthday parties, but our age is only an illusion. It doesn't need to be celebrated" Shiro said carefully.

"Yeah, but..." Keith trailed off. "Sorry. I'll stop." he promised.

Shiro nodded, and he, Blue, and Hunk headed back to the Temple. Cosmo followed after them, decked out in everyone's discarded party hats.

Keith didn't go with them. He needed time to think.

...

Keith walked through Garrison, observing the town around him. Why was he so stupid as to believe that his friends would find something so childish? He scratched his cheek, forcing down the tears brewing at the surface. It felt _itchy_ all of the sudden.

He realized he had walked all through town, and was standing at the base of one of the outer mountain. He decided to climb it, having nothing better to do. All the while, dark thoughts swirled in his head.

 ** _He was useless._**

 ** _All he did was annoy and distract his friends._**

 ** _He wasted their time._**

 ** _He didn't understand them._**

 ** _He didn't understand because they didn't think he was worth explaining too._**

By the time he got to the top, he was exhausted. At some point on the journey, Cosmo had joined him. He reached over and pet his newest friend. "I really screwed up, didn't I?" he asked. That's when he realized.

His hand wasn't his hand. It had changed, growing hair and becoming almost wrinkled. The itching feeling had been him _rapidly aging_. He had to tell his friends. _**His friends**_. The itching feeling returned, and Keith nearly collapsed from the wave of pain and nausea that accompanied it.

He tried to tell Cosmo what he needed, but the wolf seemed to know, and he picked up Keith and carried him home as fast as possible.

...

When Cosmo dropped Keith in front of the Paladins, they were terrified. Gems didn't age, but Keith was half human. If they couldn't fix him, he could _die_. They needed to make him feel _good_.

"Look Keith!" Blue said, shaped-shifting into a toy spaceship, and Shiro climbed in. "I'm a spaceship!" Blue finished. Shiro made a laser noise, and pretend to shoot at invisible enemies. Keith went through another aging spell, hair turning white and growing longer.

Blue shape-shifted into a pinata, a cake, and as many birthday things as she could think of, trying to find something to save Keith. There was one thing she forgot that Shiro remembered.

"Hunk! Get over here!" Shiro yelled, and dragged his friend over to the dying boy. "I can't!" Hunk said despairingly. "FOR KEITH!" Shiro cried angrily, pushing the smaller Paladin in front of Keith. Hunk now wore the over-sized clown t-shirt and rainbow wig. He clutched a pie in his hands.

Hunk took a couple of steps towards his friends, before he screamed in rage and fear, and slammed the pie into his own face, sobbing the whole time.

Shiro and Blue stared at the pathetic display. "Are you trying to kill him faster?!" Shiro demanded. Blue couldn't take it anymore. They had to do something. _Anything_.

She marched over to Keith, picked him up, violently shook him. After few intense seconds of Shiro and Hunk grabbing her arms and trying to stop her, she gave up. "I don't what to do." she admitted, setting Keith down. She fell to her knees in front of him, and began to sob.

Keith aged again, closer and closer to death's door. Around him, all his friends were crying. But more importantly, they were _screaming_. It was so annoying. "Can you please control yourselves?" he demanded.

The Paladins stared at him. He had de-aged at least a few decades. Keith flustered, realizing all the attention was on him. "Sorry," he muttered, aging once more.

"Keith!" Shiro sighed. "Your age is changing!"

"You need to stop feeling old!" Hunk ordered. Keith shook his head. "I wasted your time." he said despairing. "I don't know why you keep me around."

"I mean, sure you're annoying, and obnoxious, and reckless..." Blue trailed off.

"Get to the point, Blue." Hunk said, voice low.

"Right." Blue caught herself. "But you're also kind, and caring, and you always try your hardest. And..." she continued, "you always put others before yourself."

"Keith, you are amazing. Stop feeling like you need to change, and just be you!" Shiro pleaded. Keith blinked. And nodded. And shrunk.

"You're right." he said, smiling. He was back to his normal self.

Shiro and Hunk wrapped Keith in an embrace. "Thank the stars!" Hunk cried. Blue joined in, wrapping her arms around all three. "We'll fix your hair later." she whispered.

Keith's attention snapped to his hair, which was still long and white. "Crap." he muttered to himself, before refocusing on the hug. Blue was right. It could wait till later.


	14. Keith the Sword Fighter

**I just want to say that I love Shiro. He is such a likable and compelling character. (Also, I once again apologize for my** **inability** **to write fight** **scenes** **)**

 **...**

Chapter 14: Keith the Sword Fighter

It was an unofficial tradition for Hunk and Keith to binge Japanese anime after a successful mission. After spending the entire previous day tracking a monster, Hunk knew they deserved to have a bit of fun. There was something surreal about curling up on Keith's giant bed and spending hours on the internet looking for good dubs. But there was always a downside to watching these cheesy shows.

 _ **The question.**_

Yes, _ **t** ** _h_ e question**_ always came up while they were watching battle scenes. It was a dangerous question that could completely decimate the order of the house.

"When are you and the others going to teach me how to fight?" Keith asked. The horrible, _**horrible question**_.

Hunk spit out his cherry soda. His face turned bright orange. "We'll, uh... teach you when you're older." he said. Hunk gave a small smile, but it was obviously fake. Keith narrowed his eyes. "You always say that." Hunk frowned. Keith sounded so dejected. Maybe he was ready to learn how to fight.

Hunk sighed, the guilt overwhelming him. "I guess we could go talk to Blue." Hunk offered.

The sad look left Keith's face instantly. "Really?" he asked. Hunk made a move to reply, but he was cut off. "Ask me what?" Blue said. The two friend yelped at the sound of her voice. She stood by the entrance to Keith's room. Her face was blank, but she somehow managed to appear condescending.

"Keith wants to learn how to fight." Hunk explained. Blue shook her head, knowing Keith could get himself hurt. "We've talked about this, Keith. We'll teach you how to fight when we think you can handle it." Keith glared. "I'm not a little kid anymore."

Blue clenched her jaw. "I know." she said. "But that doesn't mean you're old enough for everything."

"So I'm old enough to go on magical missions with monsters, but I'm too young to learn how to use a weapon to defend myself."

"You... uh..." Blue stuttered. That was a _very_ good point.

Blue sighed, and gestured for the boys to follow. They trailed after her for a bit, before stopping in the kitchen. Shiro was sitting at the table, reading his morning newspaper, blissfully unaware of his fellow Paladins. Blue tapped lightly on his shoulder. He turned to her. "Yes?"

Blue hesitated, before speaking. "I think Keith is ready to begin training." Shiro's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to protest, but Blue cut him off. "I think he's ready." she said a bit more forceful. Shiro closed his mouth, and nodded. "If you really think so..." he agreed.

"Really?" Keith questioned. Shiro nodded again. "What do you want to learn?"

"Sword fighting." Keith said, not missing a beat.

"Then meet me by the warp pad in fifteen minutes." Shiro instructed. Keith was confused. "Why fifteen minutes?" he asked.

Shiro snorted. "You want to train in that?" he said, gesturing to Keith's PJs. Keith flustered and took off for his closet.

...

Twenty minutes later, the four Paladins had warped into an ancient-looking arena, thousands of feet in the sky and surrounded by clouds. "All right." Shiro began, holding up two swords. Keith made a move to grab one, but Shiro shook his head. "You can hold it after I show you how to use it without cutting yourself in half." he scolded playfully. Keith huffed, but complied, and marched over to sit by Blue and Hunk.

Shiro smiled. "Before we begin today's lesson, I would like to give a demonstration. I'll need a volunteer" Keith eagerly raised his hand, but Hunk pushed it back down. Everyone expected Blue to raise her hand, but she just kept sitting in a reclined position.

Shiro raised an eyebrow. "No takers?" he questioned. No one answered. Shiro smirked. "Then it's a good thing I have the perfect opponent right here." Shiro turned away from his friends, and summoned a bright orb from his gem.

It morphed into a tall, humanoid robot with a Voltron V on its chest. The robot was disturbing in appearance due to its lack of a face and glowing circle in the middle of its head. Shiro handed it one of the swords. "This is the Gladiator." Shiro introduced.

Hunk groaned. "I can't watch." he said nervously, and pulled a nearby cloud over his eyes. Keith felt puzzled. "Why can't you watch?" he asked. Blue pointed at the Gladiator. The blue circle on his face turned red, and it said in a monotone voice, "Commencing duel."

The Gladiator charged hard, and struck heavy, but Shiro blocked the sword with his own. The opponents retreated from one another, and began to circle each other. Shiro was the first to strike, but the Gladiator parried the blow, and managed to disarm Shiro.

Shiro quickly avoided the Gladiator's next attack, and grabbed his weapon. He turned to face his opponent, and right as it attacked again, Shiro found a weakness in its defense, and stabbed the robot. It was thrown back, and its eye-thing turned back to blue. "Round over. Challenger wins." it said.

Keith, Hunk, and Blue all clapped. Shiro smiled at the encouragement. "Ready to begin?" he asked. Keith gave a brisk nod, and walked up to Shiro. Shiro gave the Gladiator an order to begin training mode, and he and the robot began a parry/thrust movement. Throughout the whole time, Shiro gave instructions on position and balance.

"What got you into sword fighting in the first place?" Keith asked randomly.

Shiro smiled at the question. "Because it is a martial art that isn't just about brute strength. It's about skill, and patience. Nothing is more exciting than waiting for the perfect moment to stri-" Shiro was cut off as the Gladiator's sword impaled his back.

Keith gasped at the horrifying sight. "Oh no." he heard Blue whisper. Hunk stuttered out an "Are you alright?"

Shiro looked down at the sword sticking out of his chest, and laughed. "Don't worry, Keith. I'm gonna be okay." He said reassuringly. Then he exploded.

All that remained of their friend was a large pearl.

Keith's jaw dropped. He fell to his knees and picked up the pearl. Tears threatened to spill out of his eyes. He sucked in a quick breath, and pushed them back down. "Keith!" Blue and Hunk cried. Keith looked between them. "He was.. I was just..." he let out a dry sob.

"Keith, it's okay." Hunk said calmly. "Shiro will be just fine."

"He just exploded!" Keith screamed. Blue put a hand on his shoulder.

"Sometimes," she spoke softly, "when our bodies are badly damaged, we release our physical forms, and retreat to our gems to regenerate."

Keith's eyes widened. "So he'll be fine?" he asked hopefully.

Hunk grinned. "Yeah! This is just something that happens sometimes." his smile vanished. "Usually to me."

Blue smirked. "Always to you." she snickered. Hunk grinned again. "It's not my fault you guys always make me do the dangerous stuff." he defended.

They laughed at that. Keith ceased his giggles. "So it takes what? Like... 5 minutes to regenerate?" he questioned. Hunk and Blue looked away awkwardly.

"10 minutes?" he tried.

...

 _ **TWO WEEKS LATER**_

...

Blue and Hunk once again came home from a successful mission to find a messy house and a depressed Keith with his face in the couch. Sitting in front of him on a fancy pillow was Shiro's pearl.

"He hasn't finished yet?" Blue asked. Keith brought his face up. "No." he answered, shaking his head. Hunk walked over to the pillow. "You're taking your sweet time, huh?" he said. The pearl didn't respond.

"What's taking so long?" Keith whined.

Hunk shrugged. "Different gems just take different amounts of time to regenerate." He quickly surveyed the house. It was covered in more garbage than an actual dump. "You need to stop moping and clean up this mess." Hunk said. With that, he and Blue left the house, leaving Keith alone. He groaned in frustration. _Hunk is right._ he decided. _This place is a mess._

He proceeded to pick up all the plastic bottles and candy wrappers up. After disposing of them in the nearest wastebasket, he made his way back to the couch. Keith stared at Shiro's gem. "Why are you taking so long?" he asked. Shiro didn't answer.

Keith huffed. "Fine, then." he said, before stomping towards the kitchen. In the corner behind the table was something under a sheet. Keith pulled the sheet off to reveal the Gladiator. Keith dragged it towards the living room. He moved the furniture out of the way and grabbed the two swords he had been hiding from his friends out of the closet. He handed one to the Gladiator.

"Begin training level 3." he ordered. The Gladiator activated, and they began to duel. Keith had been practicing with the Gladiator everyday since Shiro was stabbed. He knew he was getting better. But he didn't just train because he wanted to become better. He _needed_ a distraction.

After twenty minutes, Keith ended his training session. He put the sword under the couch, placed the robot back in the kitchen, and curled up on the couch. _Maybe taking a nap will take my mind off it._ He concluded.

He didn't get his nap, as the Gladiator threw off its sheet and asked it Keith would like to duel again.

 _Well, crap._

...

"Guys? This thing won't stop following me around." Keith called out to his friends. They appeared to be standing on the beach, with Blue holding Hunk up on one of her shoulders for some reason. But as Keith got closer, he realized Hunk had swollen into some kind of balloon, and Blue was holding onto his foot so he wouldn't float away. Keith opened his mouth, but Hunk beat him to it. "Don't ask." he said, voice high-pitched like a chipmunk's. Keith stared in confusion, before shaking his head. "The Gladiator won't leave me alone." he complained.

"What happened to its sheet?" Hunk squeaked. Keith flushed. _Darn it! Didn't think this through!_

"I might have taken it out to train a few (dozen) times." he confessed. Blue shook her head at him. "You are meant to train with Shiro." she scolded.

"Well Shiro isn't here right now, is he?" Keith snapped back.

Blue sighed. "Shiro will come back to us in time." She crossed her arms. "Go put that thing back under its sheet. It's creepy." Keith silently agreed with her.

Hunk waned to agree, but he was floating away. "Help meeeeeeeeeeeeee!" he shrieked, drifting up into the clouds above. Keith and Blue watched him drift up.

"Whoops." Blue said.

...

Keith moved back to his depressed position on the couch. He was officially going to go crazy if something didn't happen soon. Then, something happened. The Gladiator stabbed the couch cushion next to Keith's head. Keith yelped.

He jerked his head off the couch and grabbed the sword from under the couch. He blocked the Gladiators next blow, before jerking his sword in a way to give him an opening, before stabbing the Gladiator. It bleeped a couple of times, before the glowing circle on its face turned red.

Its attacks became more aggressive, and Keith frantically defended against him frantically. This was going to be difficult.

...

Blue spent several hours trying to rescue Hunk, and after finally bring him back down to the ground, they came home to a smashed up house and Keith shoving broken pieces of metal and wires into the garbage can.

"Keith, what are you doing?" Hunk questioned. Keith frantically tried to come up with an explanation. "Just cleaning up." he answered, shoving the last of the scrap into the garbage.

"I think I'll be okay until Shiro returns, because sometimes..." Keith stopped talking, noticing the light coming from the living room. Shiro's pearl lifted itself up in the air, and a completely bare, humanoid from compose of actual light emerged from the gem. It shifted many times, before seeming to settle, and Shiro took shape. He looked exactly the same except now he was wearing long sleeves instead of short sleeves.

"That's better." he sighed. He looked around. "What happened to the house?" Blue brought the floating Hunk over to their leader. Shiro shook his head. "I don't even want to know what happened to you." he said exasperatedly.

"I got hit by an airplane." Hunk replied.

"I can't leave you guys alone for a second." Shiro laughed. Keith ran up and hugged him. "It's good to have you back." Keith said, embarrassed.

"Awwwwww!" Hunk said happily, before burping out a large cloud.


	15. Cosmo 2: The Movie

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, and a special thanks to Shiranai Atsune (sorry if I butchered the spelling) for your reviews. They never cease to make me smile and/or laugh.**

 **I like how this turned out. I hope you all like reading it as much as I did writing it.**

 **...**

Chapter 15: Cosmo 2: The Movie

 _"Who am I?"_ a voice broke through the endless void. _"You sure you wanna know?"_

There were several flashes of light, and in between these bright flashes were images of crime scenes.

 _"If some one told you I was an ordinary guy, not a care in the world..."_ The endless void changed into an image of a criminal looking around frantically. Behind him was someone dangling from some kind of rope.

 _"...then somebody lied."_ the voice finished.

Keith took out the earbuds, and handed Acxa's phone back. "So... what'd you think?" she asked.

"It looks good." he said. "So we're watching Spider-Man?"

Acxa smiled. "We're watching the entire Spider-Man trilogy. The plan is after work, Plaxum is going to get a pizza and a bunch of different snacks, I'm going to get the movie, and you're supposed to set up the pillows." she explained. Keith shifted on the couch so he could better face her. "Is the trilogy good?" he asked.

Acxa smiled. "The first two movies are pretty amazing, no pun intended, but the third one doesn't really reach the standard of the other two. I mean, I like it, but when I told Plaxum that, she insisted that it was 'the embodiment of disappointment' and 'proof that the studio cannot and will not respect the genius of Sam Raimi'." she broke off to snort. "I think this movie night is just a way of us trying to prove who's right."

Keith smirked. "So I'm just a tie-breaker to you?"

Acxa smirked back. "But of course not. You're a tie breaker to both me _and_ Plaxum." The two children burst out laughing.

Once they calmed their fit, Axca spoke. "I guess I better get going if I want to get the movies before the Video Rent Shop closes." Keith raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that store four miles away?" he asked. "I could give you a ride?" he offered.

Acxa shook her head. "It's okay. Besides, you're supposed to set up the pillow fort and it's not like either of us can drive." she pointed out.

"We can just build the fort together when we get back." he said. Keith smiled evilly. "Besides, who said anything about driving?"

...

"You have a pet wolf?!" Acxa screamed, hiding behind Keith. Keith smiled. "His name is Cosmo, and he isn't going to bite." Keith turned to the pink wolf. "And he isn't really a pet."

Keith pet Cosmo's head. "Think you can give us a ride?" he asked him.

Cosmo sprawled out on the sand, bathing in the sunlight. He blissfully ignored the two children. Keith scowled. "Really?" he asked.

Now Cosmo was a wolf, and obviously, wolves cannot roll their eyes or sigh in exasperation. But Cosmo came close. He stood up, and Keith and Acxa climbed up on his back. "Let's go!" Keith commanded.

But instead of heading towards town, Cosmo ran towards the lake. Acxa yelped in panic. "Keith, I really don't feel like swimming!"

Keith couldn't help but agree. "Cosmo, I can't wreck a second phone!"

Cosmo ignored the two children, and picked up speed, running so fast, Keith and Acxa were nearly thrown off. He leaped up, and into the lake. The friends prepared themselves for a rush of cold, nasty lake water, but it never came.

Instead, Cosmo dissipated into a burst of light, and Keith and Acxa vanished along with him.

…

Reality was gone, nothing more than a blur as the world exploded around him. Colors moved so fast it was impossible to register them. Sound vanished completely; they were moving so fast. Keith felt the force knock him around, but he held strong. And as quickly as it came, it was gone.

…

Keith yelped as Cosmo's paws came in contact with the new ground. He took several deep breaths, desperately surveying his surroundings. He was still on Cosmo, and Acxa was still gripping onto his back. But they had somehow ended up in a cave.

Axca quickly readjusted her glasses, which had gone askew, and took in the strange new place. "Did we just teleport?" she asked Keith.

"Yeah." he confirmed.

"Is it normal for Cosmo to teleport?" she questioned.

"No." Keith answered. He continued to look around. It was just a cave, same as any other, with two inches of water covering the floor. But separate from the rest of the cave was a large, circular stone dais. "Is this one of those magical, gem places you told me about?" Acxa asked.

"I think so." Keith answered. Cosmo climbed up onto the dais, and the two kids followed. Something about this place felt... _familiar_ to Keith. When they made it to the center of the dais, the entire thing began to glow. The light shrunk in towards the center, and some kind of control panel rose up from the ground. "Whoa." Acxa gasped, running up to it. The panel itself only had a couple of buttons on it, but there was a large hexagon in the center. Acxa poked around at the strange controls. "Cool." she whispered in awe.

Keith shook his head at his friend's action. He looked over to the _(evil)_ wolf. "Cosmo, I usually like this kind of stuff, but we're kind of on a deadline."

Cosmo blinked, before pushing his muzzle into Keith's shoulder. He tried to direct the boy towards the panel, but Keith twisted away. "No." he said. Cosmo's ears fell to the side of his head. Keith felt guilt sink into his stomach. _Dang it. I made him sad!_ he cursed.

"Maybe he brought you here for a reason." Acxa offered. One look at Cosmo, and you practically could hear him screaming, 'Yes! Listen to the smart girl!'

Keith sighed, and marched up to the panel. He looked over the buttons, analyzing them and what they could be used for. He wasn't sure what to mess with first. He finally decided to press his hand onto the hexagon.

He wasn't sure what would happen, but he did not expect the entire cave to light up in the pink light from earlier. "I think it likes you." Axca joked.

"Ha ha." Keith muttered. He looked around. _What am I supposed to do now?_ He reached a hand up to scratch his head, but it was trapped on the panel. "My hand's stuck." he realized, horror creeping up inside him.

Acxa scoffed. "Really?" she asked, believing he was joking. "No, I really can't move my hand." he said panickedly.

Acxa frowned, pulling at his wrist, but the limb didn't budge. Both kids began to frantically pull at Keith's hand, but it only seemed to become more stuck. After a few minutes of pulling, the two children came to the same horrible realization. "We're going to have to cut it off." Acxa said grimly.

"WHAT?!" Keith screeched, turning pale. Okay, maybe they didn't come to the _same_ realization. As soon as Keith processed what his friend said, several large axes rose up out of the floor. "Cool." Acxa grinned.

"Nope!" Keith exclaimed, and the axes vanished back into the floor. "How do you do that?" said Axca. Keith just shrugged, unsure himself.

"Do it again!" Acxa encouraged.

"Okay." Keith agreed. He could do this. He could do this. He could do this. He could do this. He could do this.

"Nothing's happening." Axca told him after a minute or so. Keith groaned. "Sorry. I don't think there really much I can do."

Acxa's eyebrow knitted together, and she got an idea. She reached up a hand and tugged on the back of Keith's mullet. "Ow!" Keith exclaimed. "Why?"

Acxa didn't answer, choosing to continuing to poke and pull at random parts of Keith's head and torso. Each poke/pull brought out some kind of battle gear, ranging from armor to guns to quintessence cannons to flails. But the coolest objects hidden in the floor were the swords.

When Keith managed to summon them, the two children were fascinated by them. There were dozens, all in different styles. Some were contained in sheaths, others were floating with their blades in full display. Many of the swords looked brand new, but a few looked really old. They _all_ looked super cool. The young children wanted to touch them all.

But Acxa felt doubt. "This is awesome and all, but I feel like I'm not supposed to be here." she told Keith.

Keith frowned. "I want you here." he said. Then a happy look appeared on his face. "Well, I'd rather be with you back home, watching the movie. That trailer promised me a good fight sequence." Acxa laughed at Keith's sad attempt to make her feel better.

This turned out to be the wrong thing to say as several large spikes rose up from the ground. Keith and Acxa backed away from the center, dodging the spikes before they could impale them. As soon as the last spike appeared, a hole opened in the floor and a large orb rose from the ground.

It was like no device Keith had ever seen before, almost like a robotic ball. "What is that thing?" Axca asked.

Keith shrugged. "Whatever it is, Cosmo isn't too concerned." he gestured to said wolf, who was curled up by one of the spikes, sleeping.

Before they could ponder the droid further, it proved that it was bad by shooting a laser straight at them. Keith noticed it just in time, and dodged the laser. Acxa jumped behind a spike. It continued to fire at them as they bobbed and weaved through the spikes. They met in the center after a couple minutes.

Keith yanked Acxa towards him and a bubble formed around them for protection. It saved them from the blast, but the bubble popped, and the blast slammed both children into the ground. Cosmo trotted over to them. Both children were covered in scratches and bruises.

Keith opened his eyes, looking into his friend's. "Cosmo, what do I do?" He asked. Cosmo looked deep into his eyes, black vanishing to be replaced by yellow. His great mane of fur glowed yellow as well, and both his glowing eyes and fur shifted colors. It was a beautiful display of magic.

Keith got lost in the hypnotic display, before some kind of hilt emerged from his forehead. Keith reached out for it, and grabbed the handle. He pulled on the hilt, revealing some kind of dagger. "Since when do you have a knife in your head?" he screeched. His frustration subsided when he realized what he could use this for.

"HEY!" he screamed at the droid. It stopped its assault on Acxa, and turned its attention toward Keith. It fired a laser right at Keith, but he used the knife to deflect the laser. The droid fired again and again, but Keith deflected each one. As soon as Acxa manged to get to a better hiding place, Keith decided it was time to go on the offense.

The droid fired one last beam, before Keith angled the knife so that the beam hit the droid. The droid started to shake before it exploded. Keith sighed in relief, and collapsed to his knees. Cosmo walked over, Acxa on his back, and pressed his nose against Keith's head. Keith smiled. "Let's go." Keith said, relieved. Acxa helped him up, and they vanished in an explosion of light.

...

When the light disappeared, they found themselves in the Video Rent Shop parking lot. Keith slid off, and helped Acxa down. " _Now_ you take us to the store?" he asked his wolf friend. Cosmo didn't respond.

Keith turned his attention back towards the injured girl. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern deep in his voice. Acxa nodded. "I'm fine." she said.

Keith sucked in a breath. "Acxa, I'm sorry." he apologized. "I wrecked movie night, and almost got you killed."

Acxa shook her head. "No, Keith. It's okay." she reassured. "I get it. You've have this magical destiny, and weird and crazy things are going to happen." she smiled warmly. "I still want to hang out with you, even if you keep putting my life in danger."

Keith smiled back. "Okay then. Guess we better get the movies."

"Hey guys!" a familiar voice called out. Keith and Acxa snapped their attention to Plaxum. "What are you doing here?" she asked her friends. A confused look passed over Acxa's face. "We're here to pick up the Spider-Man Trilogy?" she explained.

Plaxum snorted. "You are such a scatter brain!" she said. "Don't you remember? We agreed that you would get snacks and pizza and I would get the movie."

Acxa face palmed. "Right. That was the plan." Plaxum shook her head, before noticing the minor wounds on her friends.

"What happened to you guys?" she asked, curious. Keith and Acxa's faces lost all joy and laughter, and they shared a look of knowledge, before falling into a fit of giggles. Plaxum opened her mouth to asked the question again, and was cut off. "Let's just pick up a pizza and head to Keith's house." Acxa said happily, wrapping an arm around her Plaxum. She smiled. "That sounds like a great idea."

...

The three friends stayed up all night eating junk food, drinking sugary drinks, and comparing Spider-Man villains.


	16. Beach Party

**Happy Thanksgiving!**

...

Chapter 16: Beach Party

Keith jumped out of the way of a dark red stream of fire. He felt it singe the hairs on the back of his neck. "All I wanted was to relax on the beach. Instead, I have to fight a giant lion." he muttered. He dodged another burst of flame. The maroon lion had shown up about an hour ago, and the four Paladins had been fighting it ever since.

"You three distract it! I'll take it from above!" Blue yelled over the roaring flames of the monster's mane. She jumped high up in the air, vanishing from sight.

"Let's show this thing what we're made of!" Shiro ordered.

"What do you thing we've been doing?" Keith yelled back.

Hunk snorted at his friend's comment, and fired several lasers at the beast. It spun around in retaliation, swinging its large tail to hit the lasers. The lasers bounced off it, and were sent right back at the Paladins. "Duck!" Shiro screeched. The three Paladins ran around in circles, avoiding the laser beams like the plague. Keith ducked behind a large rock.

"Keith, are you okay?" Hunk asked worriedly.

"Fine." he replied. "Just focus on the fight!"

Hunk grinned cheekily. "No need! Here comes Blue!" he said, pointing at their tall friend.

She was diving toward the lion super fast, planning a final attack. But the lion blew a gust of fire at her, propelling her up and away. Blue yelped in surprise, and found herself flying back into town. Her friends stared at her with a bit of shock, but they were forced to turn their attention back to the angry lion. It let out a vicious roar.

"Plan B!" Hunk said fearfully. He shape-shifted into a bat and hit the lion as hard as he could. It meowed like a little kitten and flew out of sight.

"Hunk!" Shiro scolded. "We needed to destroy it, not whack it away. It's just going to come back later."

Hunk sighed. "I know. We're just going to have to deal with it later." He changed back into himself. "What happened to Blue?" he questioned. Shiro and Keith both paled at the question.

The three Paladins looked around. "There!" Keith exclaimed, pointing at a tower of smoke coming from in town.

...

They found Blue sitting on top of Balmeran Pizza, with the entire roof destroyed and the owner, Rax, yelling at her. She was covered in ash and they were small spots in her clothes with holes burned into them, some of which were still on fire. "Blue! Are you okay?" Hunk called up to her. She craned her neck to look down at the Paladins, before jumping down next to them. "I am alright." she assured.

Shiro sighed in relief. "Good." He turned towards Hunk. "Because of this one, we'll have to be on guard. Let's regroup back at the Temple."

With that, the three elder Paladins super jumped back to their home.

"HEY!" Rax yelled after them. "What about my roof?!" But they were gone. Rax growled. "Keith, what is wrong with your friends? One of them wrecked my roof, and then the rest of them just jumped away without even offering to help clean up!"

Keith winced. "Sorry Rax."

"'Sorry' isn't going to fix my roof!" He huffed.

"Rax!" Shay scolded, coming out of the shop holding a broom. "If you want the roof fixed so bad, then grab some tools and fix it yourself. You do not have to take it out on Keith." She threw the broom at her brother, and he struggled to catch it.

"Shay, this isn't something that a _broom_ can fix!" Rax argued. "This could cost us hundreds, _thousands_ , of dollars."

Just then, and old, old woman came out of the shop. "You two could wake your grandfather from his grave with the racket you are making." she said. Then she gasped dramatically. "I think I can hear his ghost now! 'Raaaax... Shaaaay... you're sooo looooud'." she said in a deeper voice.

Shay smiled. "Grandma, you are so funny."

Rax was not amused. "Grandma..." he said lowly, jaw clenched. He sighed, and abruptly turned to Keith. "Keith, your friends are banned from Balmeran Pizza!" He yelled angrily, before marching back inside. A horrified look appeared on Shay's face. "Rax, isn't that a bit much?" she followed after him. Grandma followed after her two grandchildren.

Keith was left with a shocked look on his face. He sighed, and headed back towards his home. _What am I going to do?_ he wondered. _The others don't deserve to be banned. There's got to be a way to fix this._

And then, for the first time in his life, Keith got a good idea.

...

Two hours later, the four Paladins sat out on the beach at a large folding table, enjoying the sunshine and the smell of Hunk's barbecue. Blue was leaning back in her's as if she was sunbathing, Shiro had a phone out to check the weather app, and Keith was looking through a summer magazine.

"Do we really to do this?" Shiro asked. "Yes." Keith answered. "There's no point in saving people if they're just going to hate you for it."

"We help people because it is right, not for praise." Blue said to him, as if it was obvious.

Keith groaned, annoyed that they still didn't understand. "These are our neighbors. We can at least make an effort to keep them from being mad at us."

"That's a good point." Hunk agreed, not taking his attention away from the burgers.

Keith checked the time on Shiro's phone. "They'll be here in a few minutes." he held out the magazine for his friends. "You need to get dressed." he instructed.

The gems peered at the cover. "What's wrong with what we have on now?" Shiro questioned, looking down at his own outfit.

"Nothing." Keith told him. "But it would probably be better if you guys just went kind of casual." He made a gesture to his own outfit, having abandoned his favorite hoodie and jeans for a grey t-shirt and black capris.

Blue took the magazine from him, and flipped through it, looking at the different designs, while Hunk and Shiro looked over her shoulders. They eventually settled on a certain look, and they each shape-shifted into something nice.

Blue chose a flowy t-shirt and plain blue shorts, Hunk went with a short-sleeved button-down shirt and a pair of khakis shorts, Shiro decided to wear a tank-top with blue jeans, and they all ditched their shoes.

Keith nodded in approval, before hearing a suspicious voice call out. "I've never seen _this_ part of the beach before."

"They're here." Keith said, startled. "Hunk, finish up with lunch, the rest of you act natural."

Keith ran over to their guests. "Hello. Welcome." he paused, thinking of something to say. Shay helped him out. "How are you today, Keith?" she asked.

"I'm good." Keith recovered. "How about all of you?"

"The shop is closed today because it is broken." Rax answered, tone cold. An awkward tension filled the air. Keith cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Let's just go eat." he said, leading them towards the table. "Something smells nice." Grandma said happily.

Keith smiled. "Hunk will be happy to hear that."

...

So the lunch had been a bit of a flop, seeing as Blue had inadvertently insulted Grandma and Shiro had gotten Rax all riled up when he tried to explain why they couldn't help him clean up his shop. The only thing that kept it from being a total disaster was the fact that Hunk and Shay were getting along.

But Keith had a plan to turn this disaster around. "Volleyball?" Blue asked, staring at the makeshift court.

"Aren't our abilities going to give us an unfair advantage?" Hunk pointed out.

"Yes." Keith agreed. "and that's why I'm picking the teams."

He pulled out a clipboard. "Our teams are... drum roll please..." Hunk and Shay patted their hands on their laps. "Shiro and Rax, Shay and Hunk, and Blue and Grandma. And I'll be ref."

Everyone nodded, and got into their assigned teams. Keith smiled. "Let's play."

...

"Hope you're ready to lose, Hunk!" Shiro teased, holding up the ball to serve. Hunk chuckled. "As if I'd lose to you!"

Shiro served the ball, and Shay ran up to hit it. It flew up into the air, and Hunk hit it just before it could reach the ground. Shay went in for a final spike, earning the first point for their team.

Rax cursed. "You're going down." he told his sister.

...

"Our turn." Grandma said happily.

"Ready." Blue said.

Grandma served the ball, and Shay smiled. "I've got this one." she told Hunk. She ran up to hit the ball, but before she could get close, Grandma called out, "Shay, if you touch the ball, you'll be grounded for a month."

Shay recoiled. "Grandma!" she whined.

Blue laughed at the spectacle. "This is going to be easy."

...

"Take this Blue!" Shiro smirked, hitting the ball up as high as he could. Blue reacted fast, jumping as high as she could, before smacking the ball down. It moved so fast that it caught on fire.

"We should move." Rax said, staring at the flaming ball. "Yeah." Shiro agreed. "We definitely should."

The teammates jumped out of the way just as the ball stuck the sand. A burst of glass exploded from its crater, making a solid, giant chunk.

Everyone stared at it.

"Did you know when sand is super heated, it turns into glass?" Grandma asked Keith.

"I did not know that." Keith answered. He continued to look at the chunk. "Point to Blue and Grandma." he declared.

...

After two hours of playing, everyone started to become restless. Grandma kept using the "touch and you're grounded rule" on her grandchildren, Hunk and Shiro kept using their magic on each other, Blue kept using her super strength to scare everyone, and Rax and Shay would not stop bickering.

"Why are you cheating so much?" Blue questioned the shorter Paladins. "You cheated first!" Hunk shot back.

They began to bicker, and everyone else joined in the fighting.

"Well this is working out _great_." Keith said to himself.

He walked away from the arguing, deciding to find the ball, which had rolled away. By the time he found it, however, it was nearly burnt to a crisp.

His eyes widened with horror. Keith sprinted back to his friends. Just as he suspected, the lion was back. The Paladins had hidden the Balmerans behind some rocks and were trying to fight it off, but they were forced to retreat to behind a rock themselves. Keith took cover behind the table, and began to formulate a plan, but then Grandma ran up to the lion. Panicked, Keith followed after her.

"What are you doing?" Keith demanded.

"I have a plan!" Grandma assured him. "Just help me distract it! We are going to make glass!"

Keith's eyes widened. "Okay." he said, and the two proceeded to run around the large monster..

"Grandma! Be careful!" Shay yelled, worry thick in her voice.

"Hunk, turn yourself into a ball!" Keith ordered. Hunk nodded, and shape-shifted into a workout ball.

"Now, Shay, roll Hunk over to the net." instructed Grandma. Shay gave a swift nod, and began to roll Hunk towards the volleyball net.

"Good." Grandma said happily. "Now, Shiro, you need to head over there, and hit Hunk into the air as high as you can."

"Yes ma'am." he said enthusiastically. Shiro jumped up and over to the net, and hit Hunk up as hard as he could.

"Blue! Spike the beach!" Keith instructed. Blue smiled, proud of her fellow Paladin's ingenuity. "I understand!" she said, jumping up to Hunk. Hunk looked up to her. "Be gentle." he whimpered. Blue winced in sympathy. "I'll try." she promised. Then she smacked him back down to earth.

It all became a blur after that. Hunk hit the ground, making a giant, glass mound. Keith and Grandma led the lion over to it. Everyone worked together using the net to force the lion into the spike, before Blue fell down from the sky and punched the lion into the spike.

...

"Thank you for your hospitality." Rax began. "And for saving my family's life."

He smiled. "You're all unbanned from the shop." The Balmerans then made their exit, and the Paladins rejoiced in their success.

"And the fact they forgive us isn't even the best part!" Hunk said happily. "Say gave me some kind of secret code to crack!" Blue snorted, before pulling her fellow Paladins into one big hug. "Good job out there." she complimented.

"Thanks Blue." Keith said. "Now... let go... I can't breathe..." he wheezed.


	17. Krolia's Room

**I don't know anything about video games. Please keep that in mind as you read this. Hope you like!**

 **...**

Chapter 17: Krolia's Room

Keith held the spoon up to his face, the last scoop he had to eat. He could do it, it was just one more bite.

He held the spoon to his face, and pushed into his mouth. He sealed his lips around it, feeling the creamed corn slide off the spoon and onto his tongue. He quickly swallowed the disgusting mass.

As it made its way down his throat, he slammed the can down onto the counter. "I'm never eating corn again." he declared to no one in particular.

While he tried to keep the corn from coming back up, he heard the warp pad activate. Keith turned his head just in time to see his friends warp in.

"You guys ready to hang out?" Keith asked. "I thought that today we could go try mini-golf!" he said. Keith made his way over to the kitchen table. "I've done everything to prepare."

He gestured to the various golfing items on the table. "I ate four cans of creamed corn so we could get the half off coupons, I fished around Coran's old storage locker looking for these," he held up a bag of golf clubs. "and I found some old golf pants at the thrift store." he abandoned the clubs to pick up the giant pair of golf pants. They were longer and wider than Keith was, and had the ugliest pattern of plaid on them. "They're a little big on me, but you can wear them Blue!"

Blue stared at the golf pants, and she nearly smiled at the look on Keith's face when he rested his chin on the waist. But they couldn't stay; this mission was important.

"Shiro has something to tell you." she said, patting the shorter Paladin on the back. Shiro glared at her. They had agreed _she_ would be the one to break the news!

"What is it?" Keith asked.

Shiro sighed. "This was all very thoughtful of you, but unfortunately, we can't hang out today." he admitted.

Keith's smile fell. "Oh." he sighed. "Mind if I ask why?"

Hunk smiled. " _Another_ magical mission. We can never seem to catch a break, yeah?" he said. Keith smiled again. "Yeah." he agreed.

Shiro spoke. "We've learned of a dangerous magical object in the eastern hemisphere. We've got to retrieve it." Keith frowned. "It's okay. We can hang out another time." His friends all nodded. Satisfied with Keith's answer, they all made their way back to the warp pad.

"Bye Keith!" Hunk waved. "We'll bring you something back." he promised. With that, the Paladins left. Keith watched the light from the warp disappear.

 _Well, I'm alone now._ Keith realized. _Guess I've only got one option._

He made his way over to his bookshelf and pulled out the case of a video game. He popped the disc in and began to play.

...

 _12 bags of Doritos and 27 soft drinks later_

...

Keith was so close! Just one more boss fight, and he would beat the game! He could feel sweat trickle down his back, and his foot was asleep. He hadn't gotten out of bed in so long, there was an imprint of him in the mattress. But he _did not_ care.

"Up, up, down, down, left, dodge, forward attack!" he called out as if it affected the game. He was soooooooooooo close! He just had to get in a couple more hits, and this guy would go down!

He lined up his shot, and began the button sequence to deliver his most powerful attack, but something blocked his vision.

"Hey Keith!" Shiro said happily. "Check out the wailing stone we found!" He gestured to a large, ceramic box with a hole through the middle and a large button on top.

"The wailing stone _I_ found." Blue corrected. When did his friends get back? It couldn't have been more than a couple hours since they left, right? Keith glanced at the clock on top of his TV. The time read 7:48, but the date was a couple _days_ later than the last time he checked. He had been playing for two days straight, and he didn't even care.

"Isn't it cool?" Hunk chimed in. "It uses high-frequency sound waves to transmit messages from place to place."

"And to turn it on, you just need to push this." Blue pressed the button on top, and a loud screech shot out from the wailing stone. Everyone's hands shot to their ears. Keith frantically tried to play his game with his elbows, but his efforts didn't even matter. The wailing stone was so high-pitched it shattered the TV screen.

Keith could barely hear his friends fighting. He felt anger spawn in his chest.

Keith sucked in a breath. "Why is it never about what I want to do?!" he yelled. Everyone stopped their squabbles, and turned to the youngest Paladin. He glared at them angrily. Then, he felt his face heat up. He pressed his face into his hands in an effort to hide his embarrassment.

"I just wish I had a place for myself." he murmured, hoping his friends hadn't heard. If they did hear, their concerns were soon forgotten when Keith's gem lit up a bright pink. The light spread across the room, casting a warm glow on everyone.

Keith yanked his hoodie up, and stared at the glowing rock. Suddenly, there was a whirling sound in the next room. The four Paladins dashed to see what it was.

It turned out to be the temple door. "Your gem is opening your mother's room." said Shiro, shock in his voice. Keith up to the door. "This is my mom's room?" he asked, staring at the pink landscape inside.

"Yes." Blue confirmed. Keith could tell something was off, but he didn't care. He ran through the doors before they could stop him. He heard his friends yell at him to not go inside, but the door was already closed.

...

"So I've got this place all to myself?" Keith wondered, looking around at the cloud covered landscape. It was completely barren. "Maybe I should have brought my game?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, his TV and console manifested from the clouds. Keith was a bit surprised, but he picked up the controller and played. The game was paused right were he had been before the other gems had interrupted him. He picked right up where he had left off, and beat the game in less than three minutes.

Keith smiled at the screen, before yawning. _That's right_. he realized. _I haven't slept in two days._

"If ask for it, will a bed appear?" Keith asked the room. Somehow, the room replicated Keith's own bed from clouds. Keith smiled, crawled under the covers, and fell asleep.

...

A few hours later, Keith blinked the sleep from his eyes. He sat up on the bed, and stretched his arms out. This room was awesome.

"Can I get something to eat?" Keith asked. A small bag of fries materialized in his hands. He pulled a fry out and tried to bite into it, but it exploded into clouds. Keith's eyebrows knitted together. That was a bit weird. He tried to eat another one, but it exploded too.

"Looks like I'm going have to go outside to eat." he said to himself. Behind him, the door opened up.

Keith poked his head out, and looked around for his friends. When he didn't see them, he left the room completely, and headed outside the house.

...

It was completely dark out. There weren't even stars in the sky. Keith walked around. There wasn't anyone in the streets, but the light on the fry stand was still on.

"Hey Plaxum!" Keith waved to his friend.

"Hello Keith." she answered, a large grin plastered across her face. Keith looked at the menu. "Can I get some fry bits?" Keith asked. Plaxum didn't answer. She only stared at Keith.

"Plaxum?" Keith asked worriedly. He shook a hand in front of her face. She responded with a, "What would you like?"

Keith stared at her. "Uh, fry bits?" he answered. Plaxum set a bag on the counter. Keith opened it up, but inside where curly fries, the one fry Keith could not stand. "Really?" he asked.

"HopeyouenjoythoseokayIloveyou! BYYYYYYYYE!" Plaxum squeaked, before she took few steps back and vanished from sight.

 _Well that was weird_. Keith made his way down the road. He kept seeing weird things happen throughout town.

Porch Lights would turn on suddenly, there weren't any animals, people would appear but as soon as Keith said something to them they would vanish. It was like the whole town was glitching out. Keith eventually spotted Bob. The small child just stood there, staring straight at Keith, unblinking. It was very creepy.

 _At least something is normal._ Keith thought. _Coran will know what to do._

 _..._

Keith and his uncle sat on the roof of Coran's building, observing the desolate town below.

"The others told me not to go in Mom's room, but I was frustrated with them. And then, like an idiot, I messed with magic I don't understand." Keith explained.

"That's okay. Everyone gets frustrated every once and awhile." Coran comforted.

Keith smiled. "It was okay for awhile." he said. "But now everyone is acting weird and the whole town is messed up." Coran wrapped an arm around Keith, making the boy flush. "The important thing is you told the truth."

Keith felt confused. What did that have to do with anything? "I guess." he agreed.

Keith squirmed out of Coran's grasp. "Your advice is making less sense than usual." he complained.

Coran seemed to grin even wider. "Well the important thing is family friendship honesty values and no one got arrested."

That was _definitely_ strange, even by Coran standards. It suddenly hit Keith what was going on. He pulled one of the fries out of the bag, and it burst into clouds. Keith gasped. "I'm still inside the room."

That seemed to be the final straw for whatever magic was doing this, because everything began to disappear around Keith.

...

Keith stared at the crumbling landscape around him. How had he not seen it before? It was right there in front of him. This was all inside the room!

"Why is Coran acting like he's having a stroke the thing that clues me in?" Keith asked. It was then he tripped, and plummeted into the bottomless void.

Keith screamed into the eternal darkness. "I want to go home!" his voice echoed in the abyss.

...

Keith slammed into something solid, but soft, and he snapped his head up to see it. "Blue!" he cried out, relieved. But he had to make sure. Keith quickly grabbed her arm, and bit down on it as hard as he could. "Ow." Blue said quietly, but Keith couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. He didn't care. "You're not clouds." he sighed in relief.

"Are you okay?" Shiro asked. Keith nodded. "I'm fine, but I was trapped in this messed up version of Garrison where everyone was acting weird!"

"You had Krolia's room build the whole town?! It can't handle a task like that!" Hunk exclaimed.

"Thank the ancients you're okay." Blue said, wrapping her arms around the younger boy. Keith sucked in a breath, before speaking. "I'm sorry for how I acted. I know things can't always go exactly how I want."

Shiro grinned, proud of Keith's realization. "Well that's great. Although..." everyone looked to Shiro. "We do have time to hang out now."

...

Two hours later, Keith and his friends were playing mini-golf together. It was just as much fun as they had hoped, and Blue was even wearing the golf pants for the occasion.

"I always get what I want!" Keith declared proudly.


	18. Strong in the Real Way

**This is going to be a shorter chapter. Its only purpose is to introduce us to Violet and establish a bond between Keith and Shiro.**

 **...**

Chapter 18: Strong in the Real Way

"What we need is Violet." Blue declared. Keith wasn't sure what that meant, but if it could destroy the communication hub...

The Voltron Paladins had come to this giant tower of crystal pillars. Apparently, it was some old gem communication tower that was sending out electromagnetic signals and interfering with government satellites. That part didn't seem very interesting to Keith.

The part where they were going to smash the whole thing, though. _That_ was very interesting.

Anyway, Keith punched one of the giant pillars, but it only a small pebble broke off. It would definitely take all day to smash the whole thing.

Unless...

"Hunk, fuse with me!" Blue demanded. Hunk turned bright orange. "Really?" he choked out.

Blue smirked. "Really."

Hunk smiled so wide it hurt. "Wait a second." Shiro's authoritative voice cut in. "This is a bad idea."

Hunk frowned. "Why?" he whined.

Shiro pursed his lips. "You two can be a bit..." he paused, struggling to think of the right word. " _unstable_ when your personalities combine." Hunk stared at Shiro like he had punched a kitten in the face.

"What's that got to do with anything?" he asked.

Shiro sighed, not sure how to phrase it. "We need to be careful." he turned to Blue. "It would be safer if we fused."

Blue put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We'll be fine." she promised. Shiro sighed.

"Fine." he relented.

Shiro's pearl lit up, and he held a familiar iPod out to Blue. She took it, a grateful smile on her face. She quickly selected a song and began a simple ballet routine. Hunk joined with his own tap routine a moment later.

The two danced around each other before finally coming together. They turned into light, and their forms melded together. The new mass of light took shape, before creating that of someone entirely new.

The fusion looked a lot like Blue, having her nose and chin and wearing her jumpsuit. She also had Hunk's boots and headband. The fusion wore her hair in a short ponytail, and her eyes were hidden behind Hunk's bangs, except for one giant eye poking out from in between the part.

Keith couldn't help but stare at her. She had to be at least 30 feet tall, with four toned arms and defined curves. And it wasn't hard to figure out why she was called Violet. Every bit of her was some shade of purple. Violet stretched out as if her muscles were sore. "I forget how great it is to be me!" she sighed, stretching her arms above her head.

"You're Violet?" Keith asked, eyes nearly popping out of his head. The fusion turned her attention towards to the boy. "You must be Keith." she said happily. She reached one of her giant hands down and picked him up by his jacket's hood.

Holding him up to her face, Keith saw her four smaller eyes poking out from behind her bangs. "You wanna see something cool?" she asked, a giant smirk across her face.

"Yeah!" Keith screamed, anxious to see this fusion in action. She set him down and took a step back. She used her left arms to throw Hunk's cannon up into the air. Then, she used her two right arms to pull out Blue's scythe and angle it so the blade was across her shoulder blade. Finally, the gun crashed back into the scythe, and the result was a large, purple rifle.

Keith gasped at the sight. "Are you going to shoot stuff with your giant sniper gun?" he asked, bouncing in awe.

"That's the plan!" Violet answered. "Where should I start?"

Keith pointed at a giant pillar in the back. Violet smirked. "I always love a challenge." she said happily. The fusion lined up her shot, before she pulled the trigger and a long, thin laser shot out at the pillar. It hit its target dead-on, and a quarter of the tower collapsed. Keith let out a tiny woah, excited to she her shoot more of the pillars. But as Violet continued her barrage, rocks exploded out from the tower, nearly hitting Keith and Shiro several times.

Shiro barely managed to yank Keith out of the way of a boulder. "Ease up, Violet!" Shiro yelled.

The fusion stopped her assault. "Could say the same for you." she bit back. Shiro sighed, and dragged Keith over to the warp pad. "We're going." he said.

"What about Violet?" Keith asked, still staring at her awesome feat of skill.

"She can find her own way home." Shiro replied coldly. With that, they warped away. Unknow to them, another piece of crystal smashed the warp behind them.

...

Keith parried the blow from Shiro's gauntlet with his training sword. Shiro withdrew, and smiled. "Your defense is getting better." he commented.

Keith snorted, and shook his head. "As if." he replied.

Shiro frowned. "What's wrong?" he questioned. Keith felt a blush creep across his face. Why did he have to say that?

It's okay, he thought. I just need to act like I didn't say anything, and it'll just go away.

"Keith." Shiro said, raising an eyebrow.

Keith groaned, pulling his hood down over his eyes. "I feel like I could do better."

Worry took over Shiro's face. "What brought this on?" he asked.

Keith scowled. "It just feels like I don't bring anything to the team sometimes. And being around someone as awesome as Violet only reminded me of that. That's all."

Shiro frowned. "Keith," he began, "I know being around people who seem like they are stronger than you can make you feel small," he put a hand on Keith's shoulder, "but you are strong in the real way." he finished with absolute conviction.

Keith stared at him for a moment, before smiling. "Thanks, Shiro."

...

Keith sat on the smooth sand, facing the temple. He happily sketched out the base of the lion, and shaded it in the way it looked at sunset. He found himself immersed in his work; it was truly his best drawing yet. Just as he started on some of the finer details of the lion's face, he heard someone call out his name.

Startled, he jerked his pencil up, ruining the whole picture. "Well, crap." he muttered.

He chose to not get mad because he does _not_ get mad at every little thing. "Is something wrong?" Keith asked, realizing it had been Shiro.

Shiro honestly looked terrified, but Keith wasn't sure why.

"Violet hasn't returned, and the warp pad isn't working." he explained. "I'm worried they could've have gotten hurt."

Keith frowned. "What do you mean? She's right there."

Indeed, Violet was right there, in the lake, marching towards them with an angry look on her face.

"Oh no." Shiro muttered, pulling out his gauntlet and heading out to meet the fusion halfway.

…

The fight had been too intense for Keith to properly take in, but at some point at the end Violet slammed Shiro into ground and he retaliated by hitting her right in the eye, which made her defuse. Shiro had practically cried tears of joy at the sight of his friends back to normal, and pulled the exhausted Paladins into a bone-crushing hug.

Keith had stood off to the side, laughing when Blue and Hunk admitted Shiro was right, and he answered with "When will you learn I'm always right?" It had been a long day, but Keith was happy in the knowledge that his team was strong in the real way.

 **...**

 **I think I used a semicolon wrong. :p**

 **Also, Monster Buddies is next! That was the one episode that made Steven one of my favorite characters. Can't wait to see how it's going to turn out for Keeeeeeeeithhhhhh!**


	19. Monster Buddies

Chapter 19: Monster Buddies

"One more attack should do it!" Shiro said as the large ice monster slammed into the wall behind it. Blue struck the beast with her scythe and it exploded in a cloud of dust.

All that was left behind was a crystal that Shiro quickly bubbled and sent back to the Temple. "Now there's nothing standing between us and the shooting star." Hunk said happily.

It turns out Hunk spoke too soon as the entire cave began to collaspe. A bunch of ice boulders fell right on top of Hunk. "Hunk!" Shiro cried out in alarm. There wasn't any time to worry as more and more ice collasped. The older gems heard a muffled "Get Keith out of here!" from under the pile.

Blue quickly made her way over to the young boy. "I'm sending you back to the Temple." she informed him.

Keith felt confused. "How?"

Blue didn't answer. Instead, she formed a bubble around Keith.

"You can bubble me?" he asked, shocked that that was even posible.

"Blue, wait!" Shiro warned. They couldn't just send Keith to the _bubble_ _room_.

It was too late, she had already sent Keith away. "Watch your head." she warned, just as a few dozen ice stalactites fell on their heads.

...

Keith swirled through an endless abyss of laser light. He felt like his was spinning around in circles, and if it didn't stop soon, then he would throw up.

Luckily, it stopped, and he found himself in the bubble room of the temple. He took a second to get his bearings, before he really registered what was going on. He was stuck in a bubble.

 _This feels familiar._ he thought. _Hope I won't have to fight another giant worm when I escape from here._

A giant worm wasn't his problem, though. How he was going to escape from the bubble was his problem. He looked around. He noticed Shiro's bubble, and felt himself snort at the magical monster inside. Keith's amusement quickly vanished when he realized he would have to wait for the others to let him out.

 _Or maybe..._ he pressed his feet to either side of the bubble, and kicked out.

Just like that, the bubble around him popped, and he descended towards the ground. He gasped, realizing he would crash onto the stone floor beneath him, but his fall was broken by another bubble with a red gemstone.

The impact was softened by the bubble, but relief turned into panic when Keith realized that the magical monster inside was now free.

A burst of light emerged from the magical object, and the light quickly took the form of a large lion. Keith gasped at the sight. The last time he and the Paladins had faced off against the flaming lion, it had almost killed the Balmerans.

Keith backed away, and briefly wished he had his training sword with him.

There was no need for the weapon, however, as the lion shrunk down to the size of a puppy dog. Keith gaped at the small creature. It didn't look anything like the monster that had tried to kill him. It didn't look like a monster at all!

Its mane was no longer burning with that red fire. Instead, it had soft and fluffy-looking fur. Keith also noticed that it had the red gemstone embedded in its right eye socket. It looked around with its left eye, but never once did it turn its attention towards Keith.

Keith walked over to it. That's when it finally noticed the boy. It hissed like a threatened cat. Keith flinched back for a moment, before reaching out a hand. The lion cub stopped its screeching, and cocked its head, confused that Keith wasn't afraid of it. It then leaned towards Keith's outstretched hand, as if welcoming the touch. That was incredible.

Keith had been raised his whole life to believe that monsters only wanted to hurt people. The little creature before him didn't fit that description at all. It looked scared.

Keith barely grazed the lion's mane before Shiro's voice started them both. "Keith!"

The lion hissed again. Keith looked over to his friends. They all had panicked looks on their faces, terrified of the little monster out and about.

"I knew we shouldn't have sent him away like that. Now that thing..." Shiro gestured to the lion, "is free. Who knows what sort of damage it could do?"

Keith stared at the little lion. Why would they hurt it? It looked so small and pathetic.

"Wait!" he said, standing up quickly and stepping in front of the lion. "We can't just attack it for no reason. I mean, it didn't even try to hurt me. So maybe..." he paused for a moment.

"Maybe that means I can tame it." he offered.

Shiro looked appalled at the notion, but Blue just nodded and sent her weapon back into her gem. "Okay." she agreed. "But we'll need to take some precautions."

...

Keith looked at the setup. Having Sparks (Hunk had named it) chained to a wall was not Keith's idea of taming it.

What was worse was the fact that the Paladins had surrounded the poor cub with their weapons drawn, ready to strike at any given moment. Keith sighed. "Maybe you guys should just wait inside and watch from the house?" he suggested.

"Absolutely not." Shiro snarled, not wanting to leave Keith alone with such a dangerous animal.

"Okay." Blue said. Shiro jerked to look at her. "Blue, we can't leave Keith out here by himself."

Blue let her scythe vanish back into light, before grabbing both Hunk and Shiro by the collars. They both began to protest, shrieking for Blue to put them down. "Keith wants us to leave." she answered their pleas.

Keith snorted at the sight, before putting all his focus on the lion cub in front of him.

It frantically pulled at its chains, desperate to escape its rock. Keith let it pull itself free, before he took a single step forward. Sparks flinched back. Keith paused. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." he apologized. He smiled, trying to make it as nonthreatening as possible. Sparks didn't show any signs of the trust from before.

"Okay, so you're still mad at me for letting my friends beat you up, but I think you'll forgive me when you see this." Keith pulled a bag of Doritos. "These are my favorite. I could live off of them."

He frowned. "I would be lying if I said I haven't tried." Sparks looked confused. What was this strange creature doing?

Keith held out a chip for it. Sparks sniffed it for a few seconds, before eating it. Its eyes widened. Sparks quickly shot up towards the bag, desperate for another one. Keith laughed. "Hey, don't eat them all!" he scolded.

Sparks scowled. "Alright." he relented, throwing a handful of chips up in the air. Sparks jumped to catch as many as possible. Keith smiled wide. He threw more chips, and Sparks continued to make grabs for them.

This went on for a little while, with Sparks doing tricks and Keith rewarding her with one of the orange chips. At least, it went on until a large seagull clamped down on Keith's cheese-covered hand.

Keith yelped, before yanking his hand away. "Go away!" he yelled at the bird. It didn't listen, choosing to eat the chips on the ground. Keith tried to wave it away, but it refused to leave.

Sparks felt anger at this new creature. He was being mean to the nice creature. He had to go.

A burst of red flame shot out of her mouth, and scorched the ground around the seagull. Terrified and confused, it retreated.

Keith stared at the lion. "Did you just save me?" he asked it. Sparks gave out a happy meow, and rubbed Keith's leg like a cat. Keith smiled, and scratched its back. It let out a purr. "Let's go show the others."

...

In retrospect, showing Sparks ability to spit fire inside the house was probably a bad idea, but at least the other Paladins were giving it a chance to prove itself. There was no way to retrieve the shooting star from the ice cave due to the ice boulders. There was no way to get through them without causing a cave in.

At least, not without Sparks's fire power. All Keith had to do was squawk like a seagull, and BOOM! Red fire would burn right through the ice. It was barley twenty minutes of spelunking before they came across at small tunnel that led right to the shooting star.

It was in a pool, surrounded on all sides by ice. "We found it!" Hunk said happily.

"The Shooting Star." Blue's voice echoed throughout the cave. "An ancient element born from a supernova, fallen to the Earth, and encased in mystical ice. It burns with a power so intense, that bare skin can not endure its intensity." There was a long dramatic pause as Blue ceased her monologing. There seemed to almost be an ancient presence in the cave with them, guiding them towards this potent magic.

"What do you do with a shooting star?" Keith asked Hunk. Hunk just shrugged. "I don't know. You shoot it?"

"There's a bit more to it than that." said Shiro. "Shooting stars have enough quintessence in them that they were used to power giant ships or magical structures. We could even use it to build a new temple." Keith and Hunk's eyes widen, and they both nodded in understanding.

"So who's going to pick it up?" Blue asked. An awkward silence filled the cave. "It should be Blue!" Hunk blurted out.

"Why me?" Blue demanded.

"You're the toughest! Out of all of us, you're the one who could probably take the heat." Hunk explained.

"I'm not going to touch that thing, it's hotter than the sun! And I just got a manicure." she said, showing off her nails. "It should be Shiro."

"Why me?" he asked.

"You have a fancy magic glove." Blue said. Shiro opened his mouth to protest, but he stopped, realizing they were right.

"That is, unfortunately, an excellent point." he agreed. Shiro pulled out his gauntlet, and attempted to grab the star, but the Paladins heard a shriek come from behind them. In their bickering, they had all forgotten about Sparks. When the poor lion caught sight of Shiro's weapon, it had a come apart. Sparks thought it was safe with these people, but apparently it was wrong. In its panic, the lion's entire main caught fire once again, burning bright and singeing the frozen stalactites.

The whole cave began to quake, and ice fell down from the ceiling. "I knew this would happen." Shiro said, running towards the monster. He struck it, forcing the flames of its mane to cease. Blue and Hunk followed the suit, sending their own attacks towards the lion.

They attempted to get in another strike, but Sparks sent out a stream of fire that sent them flying into the cave wall. Dazed and confused, the Paladins found themselves in a pile on the floor.

Sparks glared at the Paladins. All it wanted to do was end them.

But before it could, Keith stepped in front of them. "Sparks, stop it!" he said. "You need to stop! You're not a monster anymore!"

Sparks looked at him, and it... she began to cry. She was so confused. Why wasn't he angry too?

"You're more than that." he said, voice cracking slightly. "You don't have to be scared anymore. We're not going to hurt you." Sparks stared at him, before she walked u to him. Keith smiled, and stroked her back. She purred happily, but she stopped after a moment, before pushing Keith back. He fell back a couple of feet, startled by the sudden action.

His shock quickly turned into horror when he realized a large shard of ice had pierced through her. She let out a little mewl, and looked Keith in the eyes. He sucked in a breath at the sight.

It almost seemed like she was happy.

It didn't last, as Sparks quickly exploded into a cloud of dust. Keith gaped. "You... You saved me." he realized.

He felt a hand land on his shoulder. "Keith," Blue's comforting voice broke through the horror. "You did an excellent job of training the flaming lion. Your mother would've been proud."

Keith's brows knitted together. "What?"

"Krolia once tried to use her powers to heal Sparks too, but she could save them." she said forlornly.

Keith felt even worse. "If she couldn't do it, then how could I?" he asked.

"Who knows? Maybe when you have better control of your powers, you'll e able to help them in ways even Krolia couldn't." Shiro encouraged. Keith pursed his lips.

Don't worry, Sparks. I promise I'll save you someday.

Keith held out a hand to the red gemstone, and a bright, pink bubble formed around the stone. Everyone laughed and gasped at the sight of the bubble. Keith just smiled.

He touched the top of the bubble, and it went on its merry way.

 **...**

 **Season 8 made me cry like a little baby. I loved it so much, and at the last freaking 8 minutes they go and... :'(. I wrote a story about it to comfort myself, and I feel a bit better, you're welcome to check it out. It's called Selfish, and I wrote it literally ten minutes after watching the end.**

 **I feel like this will be a very unpopular opinion, but I really enjoyed this season, and I almost wish we had one more. (almost being the key word)**

 **Ooh! What if there was a movie that opens with Lance explaining how its ten years after the war and explains everyone's current living situation. Shiro and Curtis live in the suburbs and have adopted a baby, Hunk and Shay are married and running their culinary empire, Keith is now a social worker who works with misguided and underprivileged children, Pidge is a super famous scientist who is making new discoveries everyday, and Lance is busy running his family's farm. Then they all hear about a new villain in the universe who is concurring planets by the dozen, and the universe needs Voltron again. Of course, the lions have been missing for a decade, so their's nothing the former Paladins can do, until one night Lance's marks begin to glow and the mice keep telling him about their dream of Allura returning (they all have the same telepathic connection since Allura shared her power with Lance) and he runs outside the farm house only to see Blue sitting there. Each and every one of the former Paladins find themselves in a similar situation, and Lance is the only one willing to be a pilot again. This is because everyone, especially Shiro, has moved on with their lives and no one wants to pilot again. Then Lance gives a speech about how they've all done their fair share of fighting, and it is almost cruel that the lions want them to go back out there and battle, but Allura died to save the universe, to save them, and Lance is not going to let that sacrifice be in vain when he has the power to make a difference. He'll go alone if he has to. Keith is all like, "you're not going alone." and Hunk is all like "there's no way we'd let you face off against so-and-so by yourself." and Pidge gives him this big hug and tells him that Allura would be proud. Then everyone waits for Shiro's answer and he's all like, "I have a family now and I'm finally happy." and everyone is sad because that sounds like a no, but then he's all like, "And I'll DIE again before I let anyone take them away from me."**

 **There's definitely more to this story, and if someone asks, I'll totally write it. If not, then I'll post the rest of my idea on my profile. Who knows? Maybe someone at Dreamworks will see it and think, "Hey! That's a good idea!"**

 **This all really had nothing to do with this fic, but I needed to get it off my chest. Now that that's over with, I hope everyone liked reading this chapter as much as I like writing it. My favorite scene to write was the fake argument I made up between the Paladins about who has to grab the shooting star. It didn't flow as smoothly as I would have liked, but I still like it.**

 **Hope you all have a good night/day/whatever!**


	20. The Healing Fountain

**If you're reading this, then chances are, you're as big a cartoon nerd as me. I know that that doesn't mean you're a Disney fan, but if you are, then you are more than welcome to read about my opinions of the Disney** **Princesses on my profile or check out my poll. I gots a question that needs the answering.**

 **Also, thank you for everyone who has stuck with this story the past few months. It really means a lot to me. I love you guys so much!**

 **...**

Chapter 20: The Healing Fountain

Acxa laid across the picnic blanket, staring up at the clouds above her. She was so bored! Keith should have been here twenty minutes ago. How dare he be so late? And after all that time she spent making sandwiches? Now she was forced to look at the _clouds_ for entertainment.

She vaguely noticed one cloud that looked like a big, pink wolf. Wait, pink?

Acxa blinked, realizing it was Cosmo standing over her. "Hello." she said, with a smile on her face. "Where's Keith?" Cosmo turned slightly, and Keith slid off his back. He jerked up, and Acxa realized he had been asleep.

"Are you tired?" Acxa asked. Keith blinked sleepily. "No." he answered.

Acxa wasn't convinced, but she didn't press it. She looked around at the scenery. It was one of the few Saturdays she had off from school, and they had chosen to have a picnic on top of the Temple's hill. Acxa had wanted to spend the afternoon discussing comics, but Plaxum was too busy to come, and she doubted Keith would remember half the conversation in this state. She needed to find a way to wake him up.

"So..." she started, thinking of a topic. "Is this fence new?" she gestured to the picket fence around the top of the hill.

Keith looked at the fence as if he didn't realize it had been there. "Yeah." he didn't sound like he even wanted to be here. _Okay, so he needs sugar._ she realized.

"Did you bring the sodas?" she asked. Keith snorted lightly at that, and pulled a couple of cans out of his hoodie pocket. As he handed her one, she handed him his sandwich.

"So why did you guys get a new fence?" she asked as soon as Keith took a sip. He blinked sleepily, and like magic, the sugar brought some pep into his step. "It's a long story." he replied with a tired smile on his face.

"Is it a _magic_ story?" Acxa asked.

"When is it not?" he answered.

Acxa smiled. "Care to explain?"

Keith let out a positive hum. "Okay." he agreed. "But we both know I'm an awful storyteller, and even if I wasn't..." he trailed off, the tired look flashing through his eyes again. "It doesn't really have a happy ending."

Acxa stared at him for minute. He was acting weird. Did she really want to push him when he seemed so off? _Well, it's not like I can help Keith if I don't know what's wrong._ she decided.

"That's okay. I've heard worse. Like in Guardians when they killed off Yondu, or in Merlin when they killed off Arthur." she assured. "I can take it."

Keith blinked for a second. "Arthur dies?"

Acxa paled. He _still_ hadn't finished season 5? "No." she said quickly. Keith gave her a funny look, he was definitely going to get her back for that, before he began his story.

 **"I was messing around by the cliff."**

* * *

"Keith, stop it!" Hunk scolded, horror etched in his face at the sight of Keith so close to the edge. "It's fine." Keith said, exasperated. All he was doing was sitting on the ledge, looking out at the lake.

"You could get hurt!" Hunk protested, walking up to the young boy.

Keith groaned. "Hunk, it's fine. I'm not going to fall." And he didn't fall. But the integrity of the cliff did. The rock around him trembled and broke away. He gasped, sure he was about to fall to his death, but Hunk reached out and grabbed his arm just in time.

Hunk jerked his arm back and Keith flew up onto the top while Hunk slid further down the side. Keith barely had a second to register what Hunk had done before the yellow gem plummeted down the side. "HUNK!" He yelled after him. He watched the citrine land face-first on a large rock. Keith stared in shock at the sight, terrified he was dead. But Hunk held up a shaky thumbs-up.

"I'm okay!" he called out, not removing his face from the stone.

Keith quickly ran down to him as fast as he could.

"Are you sure you're okay?" the mini-quartz asked as soon as he got there, concern evident in his voice.

Hunk got up from the rock. "Yeah!" he reassured. "I'm perrrrrrr-" Hunk then froze, face scrunching up as he continued to speak that one syllable. Keith raised an eyebrow, before Hunk snapped back to reality. "Os haey. M'i ytterp hcum enif." he answered. Keith's jaw dropped.

"Hunk!" Shiro's voice echoed from behind the pair. "Show me your gem." he ordered, coming up to the shorter quickly retreated. "S'ti enif." he protested.

Blue didn't believe the citrine, and yanked his shirt down to see his gem. The sparkling stone had a crack in it. "Quiznak." Blue breathed out.

"Blue!" Shiro scolded.

* * *

 **"What's a quiznak?" Acxa interupted.**

 **"It's an old, gem cuss word. Not sure what it means, but Shiro said that the only reason he lets Blue use it is cause she could throw him in the ocean if he tried to wash her mouth out with soap." Keith clarified.**

* * *

"What happened?" Blue demanded. Hunk blushed. "Llew, ouy ees," he tried to explain, but Keith interrupted. "He fell of the cliff." he said, pointing up.

Shiro sighed. "Of course, how could I have been so blind?" he chastised. "We need to put a fence up there so this never happens again."

* * *

 **"And that's why there's a fence." Keith finished.**

 **Acxa gave him a cynical look. "There's no way that's the end of the story."**

 **"It is." Keith said.**

 **"Keith." Acxa whined, voice annoyed and tense. Keith let out a sigh. "Okay, I'll finish it, but only if you let me try on your glasses."**

 **Acxa glared through the thick lenses. "Only if you let me have the rest of your drink."**

 **Keith raised an eyebrow. "It's mostly backwash." Acxa glared, almost seeming livid. "Zethrid only allows me one sugary snack per month. Give me the _quiznaking drink._ " Keith frowned, fear etched into his features. **

**The two quickly exchanged objects, with Acxa taking a large sip from the can and Keith slid the frames onto his face. "How do I look?" he asked. Acxa couldn't tell, the world around her too blurry. "I'm not sure." she said.**

 **He looked like a dork.**

* * *

"What's the big deal? Hunk gets hurt all the time." Keith asked. Shiro sighed. "If it was his body, it would be fine." They stared over at Hunk, who was probing his gem with a finger. Blue slapped his hand, and he yelped. "Yhw?" he keened.

"You'll exacerbate your crack. We have to fix it, not make it worse." she scolded.

"How do we fix it?" Keith asked.

"Last time something like this happened, we had Krolia." Shiro explained. Confusion washed over Keith. "What could she do?" he asked.

His friends all exchanged looks. "Keith..." Blue said, bending down to his level. "Your mother cared deeply for her friends, and she felt real sorrow when they were hurt." Blue gently brushed the ever-present strand back from between Keith's eyes. "And from that sorrow, she could cry healing tears." She smiled warmly. "You have the rose quartz gem now. And it is my firm belief that that power now lies in you." she finished.

Keith sucked in a breath. Did she really think so highly of him? _Okay, I can do this_. he thought. Keith nodded, and made his way over to Hunk. "Let me see it." he ordered. Hunk poked his tongue, and shook his head, but the scolding look from Blue set him straight. He let the boy get a good look at the crack. It was a small one, barely noticeable, but at the same time, the crack almost seemed to be _leaking._

"What _is_ that?" he asked, staring at the glowing liquid. "Ecnessetniuq, eht doolbefil fo a meg." Hunk explained. Keith nodded, not really sure what he said, but not really caring. He needed to focus on crying.

He thought about all the sad things that had happened to him. And there were plenty. But none of them made him sad enough to cry. "I've got nothing." he admitted. "I guess I'm just too tough to cry." he said.

Blue snorted. "Sure. Too _tough_." Hunk didn't share her humor. "Tahw era ew gniog ot od?" he asked.

Shiro grimaced. "Looks like we're going to have to go to Krolia's Healing Fountain."

"Why didn't we start with that?" Keith asked.

Hunk winced. "Ew t'nevah neeb ereht ecnis ehs deid." he explained. Keith groaned. "Hunk, I _can't_ understand you."

"We haven't been there since before Krolia passed, and it was a very special place to all of us." Blue said, frowning and crossing her arms. Keith felt sorry he asked.

...

"And in the center of the garden is a large fountain overflowing with your mother's healing quintessence." Blue translated for Hunk, who was happy to explain the importance and history of the fountain. He finished his sweet story just as they warped into the garden.

"Where is it?" Keith asked, looking around at the garden. He didn't see the fountain anywhere. The whole chasm it was located in was overrun by thorny brambles. He heard his fellow Paladins gasp in horror. "Well now." Blue said.

"Looks like we'll have to find a new way in." Shiro muttered. He and Blue quickly walked behind one of the rock faces to search for a break~poor word choice~in the brambles.

Keith stayed to look after Hunk. They both looked around for a entrance, but Hunk thought of an idea. He nudged Keith. "Naip nac esuac sreat." he explained while pretending to slap himself in the face and drawing tears tracks down his cheeks.

"Pain can make someone cry." Keith realized. Hunk wanted him to hurt himself. Okay, maybe he could use the brambles! But needles were terrifying, even thorns. They're nature's needles. Keith covered his eyes, and gently reached out a hand towards one of the bushes.

Unbeknownst to him, the bushes shook themselves to life, and attempted to cut him. Hunk barely managed to push Keith out of the way before the thorns consumed him. The two slammed onto the ground, and the noise was enough to attract Shiro's attention. "Hunk, no more roughhousing! You'll just make you crack worse!" he ordered.

Hunk scoffed. "I saw tsuj gniyrt ot tcetorp htieK." he defended. He tried to walk over to check on Keith, but he wasn't paying proper attention and found himself slamming into a cliff-face. He fell over, and his gem broke a little more. Hunk almost seem to blur in and out of existence. He groaned in pain, and his head and foot _switched places_.

Hunk's blinked a couple times, before he fell unconscious.

* * *

 **Keith let out a small groan. "I have a headache." he whined.**

 **Acxa scowled with no sympathy. "Then give back my glasses and finish the story!" she demanded.**

* * *

"We need to get him into the fountain immediately." Shiro stated, searching for an opening. "There's got to be an opening in the brambles somewhere."

The two Paladins looked around frantically. They found nothing.

Blue came back then, hopefully she had a solution. "Did you find a way in?" Shiro asked.

Blue nodded, and pulled a giant rock out from behind the cliff-face. Keith brows knitted in confusion. "How is a boulder supposed to help us get in?" Blue smiled, and kicked the boulder into the brambles as hard as she could. It craved a hole right through the thorned vines.

"That was fun." Blue said happily, smile still on her face.

Shiro raised an eyebrow. "I think we could have found a way in without hurtling a giant rock into Krolia's most precious sanctuary."

...

Blue set Hunk down on the marble, and stared at the fountain. It was one of those basic, three-story garden springs except it was actually three stories. The water wasn't flowing, and it was completely drained. The only light came from an opening in the ceiling of the thorns.

"Well, this isn't right." she commented. Fear crept into their hearts. If the fountain wasn't running, then there wasn't a way to fix Hunk. If they couldn't fix Hunk... "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! I'm getting emotional!" Keith exclaimed. He leaned over Hunk, and held his stinging eyes over his gem. The Blue and Shiro crowded arond, excited that . But nothing happened.

"It's passed." he admitted, disappointed.

Shiro took a deep breath. He let it out, and turned his attention towards Keith. "Keep an eye on Hunk. We're going to go see what's wrong."

Keith watched them walk off. He was alone now. Well, he was alone with Hunk, but he was still unconscious, so it didn't count. Keith was alone in a magical garden that belonged to his mother. "Why am I such a disappointment?" he asked. He probably said it a bit too loud, as the noise soon resounded throughout the dome of weeds. Keith sighed, and walked over to the back side of the fountain.

He found himself drawn to the single statue of his mother on the far side of the fountain. It was a life-sized statue that sat on the edge of the fountain. Instead of the armor his mother wore in every picture he'd seen of her, she wore a plain ankle-length dress with her hair out of its usual ponytail. Her eyes were closed and she seemed so peaceful.

Keith reluctantly made his way over to her. He sat down, and stared up at her face. He felt so small next to her. For Pete's sake, she was taller than Shiro!

"This is just more proof of what a failure I am, isn't it? It feels like everyone needs me to be you, but I know I can never measure up. How can I ever hope to control my magic if I can't do something as simple as crying?"

Keith then did something he wouldn't admit to even if it killed him. He didn't even include it in the story. He put his head on the statue's lap. "Everyone's always telling me how great you are, and I want to be as great as you. Do you have any advice you could give me?"

Surprisingly enough, the statue didn't answer. Keith let a tiny, disappointed sigh, and sat back up.

* * *

 **Keith paused his story when he realized Acxa had tears in her eyes. He hadn't seen her this upset since they went to see Infinity War.**

 **"Are you okay?" he asked.**

 **She sniffed, and wiped the tears away. "Keep going." she encouraged.**

* * *

Hunk screamed at the top of his lungs. It wasn't one of pain like Keith had first thought, instead it was a scream to get his attention. Keith leaped up from the edge of the fountain, and ran over to him. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Taht." Hunk whispered, pointing at something behind Keith. He turned to look, and he realized it was a cluster of living brambles. They lashed out towards them, and Keith quickly jerked away. One of the thorn s grazed his arm, cutting right through the fabric of his hoodie. He gasped in pain, but he managed to forget about it and get Hunk to safety.

Safety turned out to be the bottom of the fountain basin with giant, living vines swarming around them.

They latched onto limbs and pulled at the two Paladins. Keith jolted, trying to keep them away. "I'm sorry, Hunk." Keith whimpered. "I'm gonna loose you, and it's all my fault."

Hunk smiled, despite the quintessence pouring out of his gem and the obvious pain on his face. "Hhhha, too care aboot ma" Hunk managed to coo out, before his eyes sealed shut. The crack had spread all across the gem, and it oozed the glowing liquid. The citrine looked like it was going to break apart. That... Keith couldn't handle that. He sucked in several shallow breaths, and a single tear made its way down his face. It landed right on Hunk's gem.

It Keith took a second to realize what was going on. He felt hope spark. But it was crushed when nothing happened. "Oh come on!" he screeched.

He didn't have long to be mad, because the fountain came back to life. Water poured out of every pipe. Every dead and dried out flower was restored to its former glory. It was beautiful. Keith and Hunk didn't get to see any of that as they were stuck on the bottom of the pool. They both floated to the top, and Keith smiled at the sight of the restored garden. All the brambles were gone, and there were nothing but flowers everywhere. No wonder this place was so special to his mom. It was absolutely beautiful.

"Look at this guy, using magic tears to save my life." Hunk said, snapping Keith out of his trance. The yellow gem was back to normal. Hunk wrapped Keith up in a grateful hug, and the two separated when Shiro and Blue returned. "Are you two okay?" Shiro asked.

Keith nodded frantically, and he and Hunk swam over to the two tallest Paladins. "Did you see what I did? My crying brought the fountain back to life and saved Hunk!" Keith said excitedly.

Shiro shook his head. "I think Blue and I cleaning out a clogged pipe brought the fountain back to life."

"We saved Hunk." Blue confirmed. Keith scowled. "Are you sure my crying didn't have anything to do with it?" he asked.

Shiro smiled, and placed a hand on Keith's shoulders. "Keith," he began, "You don't have healing tears. In fact, you'll never have any _real_ magic powers, and we want nothing more to do with you."

* * *

 **"The end."** Keith said, voice dull and emotionless.

Acxa looked shocked. "He didn't really say that, did he?"

Keith shook his head. "No, but that's what it sounded like." Acxa scoffed. "So you let your feelings of inadequacy and self-hatred keep you up all night?" she spat.

"I don't hate myself!" he shot back. "I'm just tired."

Acxa raised an eyebrow, and took a dramatic sip from the cherry coke. "So you were up all night?" A sheen of pink made its way across Keith's face. "I might have been up a little later than usual."

She snorted. "Keith," she began, smiling a warm smile. "I know what it's like." she reached over, and grabbed his hand. "To feel scared, and like you're not good enough." Keith frowned, concerned. When had she felt scared?

"It took me so long for to realize that it didn't matter if I'm top of my class, or if my team wins the state championship, or if I'm not the most sociable person out there. It doesn't matter to me or my sisters," she smiled wider, "or my friends. All that really matters is that I'm happy. And I'm happy when I work hard and I get good results. I'm happy when I find a good book to read or a funny movie to watch. And I'm happy when the people I care about are happy."

Keith looked at her, before a similar smile spread across his face. "I'm happy you're happy."

Acxa smiled to, before she she closed her eyes, and let out a tiny moan of pain. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

She nodded, and reached a hand up to her head. Rather than grabbing her temple like Keith thought she was, she removed her glasses. "I'm fine. I just think there's something wrong with my glasses." she set them in her lap and blinked a few times. She stared at the ground below, and she gasped when it came into focus. She jerked back, knocking over the cherry coke and startling Keith.

"I can see." she realized.

Keith's brows knitted together. "What?"

"I can see without my glasses." she repeated. The kids just stared at each other. "Did I heal your eyes?" Keith asked, unsure of what was going on. Acxa wanted to ask how that was possible, but both the children noticed a faint glow emit from the split drink. Rather than the dark red it should be, it was a bright, sparkly pink.

"I don't have healing tears." Keith realized. "I have healing spit."

He quietly got up and made his way over to Cosmo. "We're gonna go tell the others." he sounded so drained, but deep down he felt like a child at Christmas.

Acxa nodded as Keith left, but soon came to a realization. "What am I suppose to tell my sisters?" she tried to ask him, but he and Cosmo were gone. She let a long sigh. Acxa didn't know much about magic, but she knew for a fact that she couldn't let Zethrid find out about this. So Acxa carefully popped the lenses out of her glasses, and headed back home.

 **...**

 **In this story, Ezor, Zethrid, Narti, and Acxa were all foster kids who were adopted by the same man. Even if they aren't related by blood, they are all very close.**

 **Fun Fact: This is the longest chapter so far, 3,700 words long. That's 1,200 more words than normal!**

 **Hope you enjoyed reading this monstrosity and hope everyone has a merry Christmas!**


	21. Mirror Gem

**Happy 2019!**

 **...**

Chapter 21: Mirror Gem

"Come oooooon!" Keith whined into the phone. "They might actually have a copy of the first Killbot Phatasm."

"I know! I would love to be there, but I've got soccer practice today." Acxa explained. "Wouldn't Plaxum love to go to the shop with you?" she asked.

"She already has a copy." he answered.

"Then why do you need one? Can you just ask to use hers?" she asked.

"I already spent two hours begging her to let me play it. You spill one Gatorade on a console and suddenly no one trusts you." he muttered.

Acxa's face broke out in smile. "You still owe me an X-box."

"So anyway!" Keith said cheerily. "When can you hang out?"

Acxa snorted, aware of his attempt at a subject change. "Actually, other than Tuesdays, I can hang out anytime now that it's summer vacation."

"So no more fancy boarding school?" Keith inquired.

"No more fancy boarding school." she agreed. "Speaking of school..." That's how you change a subject, take notes Keith, "where exactly do you go to school?"

"I don't go to school on account of me being part magic space rock. Coran gives me a lesson on math and stuff every week, but that's about it." he explained.

Acxa frowned. "So you don't go to school at all? Not even for Voltron stuff?" Keith pursed his lips. _A school for Voltron Stuff? Hmmm._

...

"Shiro!" Keith screamed, startling Shiro and causing him to rip part of his newspaper. "What's wrong? Is there an attack? Are you hurt? Is the inner magic of the temple causing a total collapse of all existing matter within a hundred mile radius?" he loudly asked, panic in his voice.

"No!" Keith answered, just as loud.

Shiro's entire demeanor changed. "Than what else could be so important that it was worth the sports section?"

Keith smiled, and prayed that his eyes would dilate slightly to give that innocent look his knew his friends couldn't resist. "I want to learn more about gem stuff." he explained.

Once again, Shiro's entire demeanor changed. "Really?" he asked. Keith confirmed it with a nod. Shiro smiled wide. "Then I have just the thing." He went into his room, and emerged a few seconds later with some sort of hand mirror. It was a simple circular mirror, nothing particularly special about it. It almost looked exactly like the ones at the Dollar Hut except it had a large, blue gemstone on the back. It was teardrop shaped and cracked, sparkling from the damage edges.

"We found this mirror by the Earthen Teleduv. It's an old tool used by gems to document historical events and such. It can play back anything it's witnessed over the centuries. You could learn so much about gem culture from it." He handed the mirror to Keith.

Keith looked into it, and he snorted. "Guess we're very important to gem culture, huh?" he asked, gesturing to their reflections. Shiro glared at the young Paladin through the mirror. "No, it just hasn't been activated, smart aleck."

He leaned over his shoulder. "Show us the Teleduv." he commanded. The mirror didn't do anything. Shiro frowned in confusion. "Show us the Teleduv." he repeated. Still, nothing happened. "I know you've seen it!" he told the mirror. He sounded like an old man yelling at slow internet. "Hm." Shiro hummed. "Must finally be broken." he realized. Keith stared at the mirror. _Seems alright to me_. he thought.

"If it's broken, can I keep it?" he asked.

Shiro nodded absent mindedly, too busy reading the newspaper again. "Go for it." he agreed.

...

Keith happily walked through town, fifty dollars and a grocery list in his pocket, the mirror in his hand. He couldn't wait to show it too...

Keith crashed into someone, and they both fell to the ground. "Watch where you're going!" The person shouted. It took Keith a second to realize it was Plaxum, surrounded by spilled ice cream. "Hey Plaxum. Sorry about the ice cream." he apologized.

She rolled her eyes, and began to wipe the sticky substance from her shirt. She was about ready to chew him out, but she paused when she noticed the mirror. "Keith, what's that?" she asked.

Keith smirked. "Just an old gem tool." he explained.

Plaxum's eyes widened in awe. "Cool. What does it do?"

Keith shrugged. "Shiro said that it could play back everything it's witnessed, but apparently it's broken."

"Uhhhhh." she whined. "Why is all the magic stuff I'm allowed to see broken?"

Keith laughed. "Probably because the last time I let you use a magic tool, you used that duplicator to clone all those action figures."

Plaxum blew a raspberry at him. "You say it like it's a bad thing."

"The whole town was covered in X-Men! It took three weeks to clean up!" he argued. Plaxum giggled. "Come on! Don't act like you've never misused magic, Mr. Paladin of Voltron."

Keith rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to humor you, Miss Assistant Manager of Luxia's Fry Stand. I'm going to go grocery shopping."

...

Keith picked up the bag of chips, convinced it was the right brand. He checked the list again. It was totally the right brand, if he was reading Blue's cursive writing right. Which he probably wasn't, but it's Blue's fault for not writing in print.

What was next on the list? Pickles? Okay, pickles. As Keith walked to the preserved foods section, he unfortunately failed to notice a vibrating tower of canned tuna. He did notice, however, Plaxum's voice yelling, _"Watch where you're going!"_ Keith jerked around, and saw the tuna display just as the cans toppled. He barely managed to get out of the way.

"Oh my gosh! Kid, are you okay?" a store worker asked, placing a hand on his shoulder and shooting him a concerned look. Keith nodded. "I'm fine."

The store worker's eyes widened. "You're not going to mention this to my manager, are you?" she asked.

"Only if you count my expired coupons." he replied.

The girl scowled. "Fine, but you can't say a word."

...

As Keith left the store, he couldn't help but wonder who had warned him. Plaxum wasn't in the store, so either there was an impressionist, or...

"Don't suppose it was you, was it?" Keith asked the mirror. The mirror didn't respond, as Keith had expected, but after a few seconds, a ripple skimmed across the surface. An image of Shiro spread across the glass. _"No, it just hasn't been activated."_ it played, before returning to normal.

Keith gasped. "Did you just talk?" he asked.

Shiro appeared again. _"No."_

Keith scowled. "Yes, you did. Admit it." he scolded the mirror. The mirror rippled for a second. The store girl appeared. _"Fine, but you can't say a word."_

"All right. I won't." he agreed. "So, why didn't you say anything earlier?" he asked.

The mirror rippled into another version of Keith's face. _"I'm not going to humor you."_

Keith snorted. "All right."

Keith was heading back home, but unfortunately, Mayor Lubos was giving some speech on the lake shore. There was no way to get home without walking through the crowd.

"My fellow citizens of Garrison..." Lubos voice broke through the mixed conversations of the crowd. "Once again, it is summertime. A time to make new friends and enjoy the warm breeze."

The mirror replayed Plaxum's raspberry. A few people in the crowd giggled.

"We all look forward to backyard cookouts and the smell of the summer season."

Another raspberry interrupted the speech, followed by a few more from other people, and even more citizens giggled.

"It's a time to take that pressure that builds up all year and just let it out!"

That was the final straw. Everyone in the crowd copied the mirror's antics, and Lubos threw his hands up in defeat.

...

When Keith finally had a chance to leave, he felt compelled to talk to the mirror again. "You're pretty funny for a mirror." he complimented.

The image instantly played back. _"You're pretty funny for a mirror."_

Keith smirked. "I'm not a mirror."

 _"You're pretty funny-"_ Shiro appeared in the glass "- _Smart aleck."_

Keith laughed at that. "You made something new! Say something else."

If mirrors could smile, this one would be grinning from ear to ear _. "Keith is-a new friend."_ It spliced a couple of different clips together.

Keith smiled. "Huh. I'm friends with a mirror. Is it sad that that's not the weirdest thing to ever happen to me?"

 _"No."_ the mirror replied.

Keith and the mirror shared a laugh. "I'm going to show you to the others." Keith decided.

 _"NO!"_ The mirror said. _"Bad thing!"_

"It's okay. They won't hurt you." he reassured. The mirror didn't answer.

...

"Hey guys! I've got the groceries." Keith said, plopping the plastic bags on the counter. "And a surprise." Each gem shuffled through the bags. Shiro and Hunk put up the fridge products, while Blue picked up the chips. "You got the wrong brand." she said.

Keith scowled. "Not even going to ask about the surprise?"

"All right." Blue sighed. "What's the surprise?"

Keith scowl changed into a confident smile. "I got the mirror to work." he said, holding it up.

Shiro looked at the young Paladin. "That's wonderful! Good job, Keith." he praised.

"Why didn't you tell me it was like a person?" Keith asked. It was a strange question, one that should probably be asked in a gentle manner and in a calm environment, not in the blunt manner Keith asked.

And to say that the Paladins were shocked at this question would be an understatement. "It talked to you?" Shiro asked, horrified.

"Yeah!" Keith answered, oblivious. "See?" he said, and held it out. The mirror didn't do anything. "Really? Nothing?" Keith asked the tool. It still didn't say anything. "Come on, please!" he begged. The mirror replayed the raspberry. Keith snorted in amusement. "Really?" he asked.

" _I'm-pretty funny._ " it said. Then it echoed the laughter from earlier, and Keith felt compelled to join in, but couldn't when he saw the look on Blue's face.

"Keith, you need to give us back the mirror." she said. "It'll be safer in a bubble."

The mirror stopped laughing, and screamed out a slurred " _No_!" Keith clutched it to his chest, and shook his head. "It doesn't want to go with you." he protested.

Blue's frown deepened. "Keith." she said sternly. "It's just a mirror. It can't _want_ anything." She reached a hand for the tool, and the mirror let out one final protest. Keith visibly trembled. He had to protect it. "It wants to be with ME!" he yelled, and smacked Blue away. The force from the blow knocked Blue slightly to the side. Shiro and Hunk let out short gasps. Had Keith really just...?

Blue looked back to the boy, and three angry yellow eyes stared into his scared violet ones. Keith squeaked in fear. "I'm sorry!" he yelped, and bolted out the door.

"Are you okay?" Shiro asked. Blue stood up, keeping her composure.

Unflinchingly, she replied, "That little mullet is in _big_ trouble." and stormed off after him.

...

Keith ducked behind a rock, and crouched down. He looked at the mirror. "Why are they after you?" he asked. The only answer he got was a distorted moan.

Keith stared at the magical mirror in his hands. "What's wrong?"

Images and flashes danced across the glass. They formed into so many different people it had seen through out the day, each one screaming, "I want to get out!"

"What do you mean?" he asked, desperate for an answer.

"I WANT OUT!" it shrieked again.

Keith let out a dry sob. "What do you want me to do?" he pleaded. The mirror vibrated, and it let out a high-pitched whine. Soon, a silhouette of Keith spread across the glass, and the imaginary Keith held up the mirror. He turned it around, revealing the broken blue gemstone. The image of Keith ripped the gem out of the back of the mirror, and the mirror whispered one word. "FREE."

Keith's hands shook, and he reached out to the raindrop-shaped gem. He carefully wrapped his fingers around it, and pulled the stone. He struggled to remove it. It was like the gem was super-glued.

But when the gem finally popped out, the mirror shattered, and Keith screamed at the explosive noise that came with it.

Keith watched as the cracked gem flew from his hands. It floated up into the air, hovering just a few feet away from the young boy. Then, something Keith would have never thought possible happened. A form of blue light emerged from the gem, a person. They hovered in the air for a moment, but they soon collapsed onto their knees.

Keith walked over to them, and the person turned around. Finally, Keith got a good look at him. The first thing Keith noticed was the cracked gem was embedded in his cheek. Next, Keith noticed how tall he was. At least as tall as Shiro, maybe even taller.

He was completely blue, from his dark blue hair pulled back into a ponytail to his light blue skin. Even his clothes were blue. The only part of the man that wasn't blue was his eyes. They were like endless pool of water, reflective, pupiless, and haunting. But the silly smile that broke across the man's face chased away all the fear the eyes could cause.

"You actually talked to me. You _helped_ me." he said. He tipped forward slightly, and Keith latched onto his arms to support him. "You let me out. Thank you so much." he whispered, voice breaking slightly at the thank you. He straightened up. "It's Keith, right?"

Keith nodded, and the stranger's smile grew. "I'm Matthew Holt. But you can call me Matt." he introduced. He held out his hand, and Keith shook it. "Are you really a Paladin of Voltron?" he asked.

Keith smiled. This guy had actually heard of them? "Yeah." he confirmed. Matt's smile shrunk a little bit. "But you actually talked to me." he voiced.

"What?" Keith asked, confused. What was _that_ supposed to mean?

"KEITH!" Blue angrily cried out. She and the other Paladins appeared then, drawing their weapons. "Wait!" Keith said. "Don't hurt him!"

"You." Matt spoke, his voice cold and harsh. His gem began to sparkle, and a large column of water rose up from the lake. "You three knew I was in there, and you didn't do _anything_. Did you even wonder who I used to be?" he demanded. Behind Matt, the water slammed onto Blue, and struck Shiro and Hunk back several feet. "I'm Matt Holt, and you can't keep me trapped here anymore!"

"What are you doing?" Keith demanded.

Matt's face contorted in rage. "They're not going to let us leave." Matt explained. He held up a hand, and the waters parted. "Let's go." he gestured to the path.

"Where?" Keith asked, confused.

Matt frowned. There was so much fear in his features. "Home." he answered.

Keith shook his head, and gestured around. "This is my home." he said. Matt pursed his lips. The lake returned to normal. "Fine." he said coldly. "Just do yourself a favor: Don't trust them." As Matt finished his request, Blue managed to break free. She ran at the blue gem, and tried to strike him. A wave rose up and consumed Matt before she got the chance.

The wave pushed the two Paladins back. Hunk and Shiro made their way over to them. "Are you okay?" Hunk asked, wrapping Keith up in a hug.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Keith stared at the spot Matt had been. "Was that another gem?" Keith asked.

A somber mood filled the atmosphere. "Yeah." Shiro said, tone dark. "Yeah, it was."

 **...**

 **Not going to lie, when I first started to plan this, I wanted Lance to be Lapis, but then I realized he was better suited for another role. Of course, with that decision came the challenge of finding someone else to be Lapis.**

 **Then I realized, "Hey! What about Matt? They're very similar! Both were prisoners, they both have amazing hair, they both have had traumatic experiences, they both have expressed the desire for home, and both of them are close friends with a short, slightly annoying tech-genius who loves the color green and wears glasses!"**

 **So Matt it is. Tis a shame what happened to poor Matthew's hair at the end of season 8, though. T~T**

 **Also, just imagine Matt is wearing his clothes from season 7, but blue and a lapis gem embedded in the his left cheek. Matt has that scar, so it's kind of poetic that the gem is cracked like how a scar is a sign of past damage...**

 **You get it, yeah. You guys get it. ;)**


	22. Ocean Gem

**I must once again apologize for my inability to write fight scenes.**

 **...**

Chapter 21: Ocean Gem

"I'm grounded?" Keith asked, shocked that he was being punished. Shiro nodded from his doorway. "Keith, this might not seem fair, but you disobeyed a direct order and tampered with magic you don't understand. There are consequences for these kinds of thing." he explained.

Keith scowled. "I shouldn't be punished for helping someone." he protested.

Shiro nodded. "No, you shouldn't." he agreed. "But it isn't about that. Keith, you have to trust us."

 _"Just do yourself a favor: Don't trust them."_

Keith wanted to, but what if what Matt said had been true?

"Ummm... Guys?" a voice called from downstairs. Shiro and Keith walked down the steps, and were met with Hunk and Blue standing at the bottom. In front of them, by the front door, was Acxa. She had a panicked look on her face, and she was a complete mess; clothes on backward, hair frizzy, and unzipped bag slug over her shoulder.

"You should probably come take a look at this." she said, and walked out onto the front porch. The Paladins followed her outside. Their jaws dropped in shock. The entire lake was gone, as if it had been slurped up by a giant and carted away.

A large crowd of people gathered at the former lake shore. Keith quickly made his way down to the people. "You!" a voice angrily squealed. It was Mayor Lubos. "What's going on?" he demanded.

"The lake is gone." Keith stated.

"I know that!" Lubos yelled. "Where did it go?"

"It was taken by the lapis lazuli." Blue intervened. Blue stepped in front of Keith, and looked ready to destroy Lubos if he got near the boy. "Who?" Keith asked.

"He's the gem you released from the mirror." Shiro explained, and a hologram of Matt appeared from his gem. The hologram looked so angry, not at all like the happy and calm person Keith had met.

"Matt did this?" Keith asked. "Why? He's a gem like us."

"There's a lot you don't know about gems, Keith." Shiro said. Keith pursed his lips. "You mean like why three legendary defenders would keep someone alone and afraid imprisoned?" he asked. A flicker of anger passed over Shiro's features. "We would have released him if the risk hadn't been too great." he snarled.

"What risk?" Keith demanded. When Shiro didn't immediately answer, Keith scoffed. "That's what I thought." he said, before storming off to the house.

...

It was a bad idea, and he would probably get into a lot of trouble, but he made this mess. _I'm going to fix it._ He thought as he packed his bag. As soon as the cheeseburger was full, Keith walked outside his door, and crouched down. He needed a plan to get past three highly-skilled gem warriors, and Acxa. He wasn't sure which would be a bigger challenge.

Alright, Step one: wait till Acxa asks Blue some random question about why she wears an aviator jacket. Blue will begin to brag about her skills as a pilot, and Shiro will make a joke about the time she crashed that pod into Mt. Everest.

Step two: Blue won't like that, and ask about that time Shiro nearly blew up the Temple. Hunk will defend that it was more his fault than anything, and both Blue and Shiro will be a bit too quick to agree with him.

Step three: The three Paladins will get into an argument about who's screwed up the most on a mission. Acxa will be too distracted with the awkwardness to notice me as I make my way down the stairs.

Step four: Quietly head down the stairs, and sneak out of the front door.

An excellent plan. Commence Operation Sneak Out.

"What are you doing?" Acxa asked, bending down next to Keith. He yelped. "How did you get up here?" he asked. Acxa gave him a funny look. "I came up the stairs." she said as-a-matter-of-factly. "What are you doing?" she asked again. "And what's with the sword?" she pointed at the hilt barely poking out of his bag.

Keith let out a long, exasperated sigh. "I'm the one who let Matt out of the mirror, so I'm the one who has to fix this, or get really thirsty trying." he explained.

"I'm coming too." Acxa said.

Keith shook his head. "It's too dangerous." he said.

"I can take care of myself." Acxa snarled, and held up a handgun. Keith jaw dropped for the second time that day. "Since when do you carry a gun around with you?" he asked.

"Since the day I was almost killed by a giant worm." she answered. "And don't you dare say that it's too dangerous again. There's no way you can do it on your own. Plus, I feel weird being in your house without you."

"I'm coming too." Coran said. Both kids jumped at the sound of his voice. He stood at the bottom of the stairwell, along with the other Paladins. "Clearly we're coming too." Shiro explained, noticing Keith's confusion. Keith stared for a moment... _Don't trust them_... before nodding. "Let's go." he agreed.

Coran drove the Castle through the dessert with Hunk and Shiro piled in the backseat and Blue in shotgun. Keith and Acxa rode on the back of Cosmo. No one was sure how long they would be going, but they were ready for a long trip. It was a dessert after all.

Coran looked at all the Paladins. "How about some music?" he suggested, and popped in a CD. A long, screechy, classical song came on. Shiro and Hunk covered their ears.

"What do you think?" he asked Blue. She looked to her friends in the backseat. They just shrugged, unsure as she was. Blue opened her mouth, and Coran leaned towards her expectantly. Blue promptly yanked the truck door open and jumped out.

...

A few hours after they managed to get her back in the Castle, Blue was riding in the bed of the truck, happy to be away from the terrible music. Shiro had taken over as driver, and Coran and Hunk were asleep in the backseat. Cosmo somehow managed to keep up with the vehicle, despite the fact he had been running all day.

Acxa was somehow still awake, albeit sleepy and using Keith's jacket as a blanket. "Look at this." she said as she handed her phone to Keith. There was an article pulled up on the screen titled, "World's Water Missing", and a passage about how rivers, lakes, and even oceans were missing all over the planet. Keith scowled at the screen, and handed it back to Acxa.

"What's wrong?" Shiro asked, noticing the boy's distress. "Matt didn't just take our lake. He took water from all over the planet." Keith answered.

Shiro hummed in response, as if he had been expected something like this. "Is that all?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

Keith tightened his grip on Cosmo's fur. "We're might have to fight him, and... it just feels like gems shouldn't be fighting each other." he admitted.

Shiro sucked in a breath. This... this was one of those moments. A chance to tell Keith the truth, or cover it up. Shiro pursed his lips, before sighing. "We're..." he paused, and Keith looked over to him. "What?" Keith asked. Shiro pursed his lips again. "We're always fighting gems." he answered.

"What!?" Keith exclaimed, startling everyone awake. Shiro winced. "How do I say this?" he wondered aloud. "All gems aren't necessary good..."

"All those monsters we fight used to be gems just like us." Blue finished for him. "That's why we didn't release Matt. We had no idea who or what was in there; the risk was too great."

"What happened to them?" Keith asked. "All those gems... how?"

Neither Blue nor Shiro made a move to answer, so Hunk intervened. "They were once like us, but they became corrupted. And now... All we can to is subdue and contain them."

"If we don't..." Hunk tried to continue, but he paused. Keith frowned. Why did he stop? He turned to see what Hunk was looking at, and it made him gasp.

It was a giant tower of water, stretching up into the clouds. _That explains where all the water went_. he realized. "That's... That's some magical destiny stuff right there." Acxa breathed out.

Shiro parked the truck, and the kids climbed off Cosmo. "Look at this thing!" Coran said in awe. "It's like a giant aquarium." Many different species of fish could be seen floating around, from freshwater catfish to moon jellyfish. It really was beautiful, but...

"Where's Matt?" Acxa asked. As if on cue, the entire tower vibrated, and a hollow voice echoed. "You shouldn't be here."

Everyone straightened. "He's senses us." Blue said, warning tone to her voice. Keith missed it. "Matt! It's me! Keith Universe!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. A face formed the water, Matt's face, and snarled at them. "Go away!" it screamed.

"We're not leaving Matt!" Keith yelled. Desperate to reach him, Keith marched up to the tower and slammed his fists into it. "Not until you give us back Earth's water." He pressed his palms into the water, but instead of them sinking in, a hand reached out. A perfect reflection of Keith emerged from the water, and in an unearthly screech it screamed "Just leave me alone!"

Keith gasped at the sight of the creation, and yelped as it clamped on his arm. It tossed him back, and Keith would have slammed into the ground if it wasn't for Blue catching him.

Three more water creations emerged, each looking exactly like one of the Paladins. "Kids, we'll handle this. You and Coran stay behind us." Shiro instructed.

"Sounds good to me." Coran agreed, dragging the kids behind a nearby rock.

The Paladins got into a battle stance. "We can't let them separate us." Blue said. The advise never really got a chance to come to be as the Water Blue punched her hard enough to send her back several yards.

Blue slammed into the ground, and a large rut came from her impact. The Water Blue made its way over to her, and attempted to strike her again, but Blue caught it with her scythe. The Water Blue pulled out a scythe of its own, and the two exchanged blows. Blue spun her scythe at it's head, and it exploded.

Blue sighed, but the relief was short lived. The water almost instantly reformed, and the clone continued its assault.

Neither Shiro nor Hunk were faring any better. Hunk was firing at the Water Hunk as much as possible, but it wouldn't stay still. Shiro swung at his clone, and managed to slice it in half. But instead of dying, the two halves each formed a Water Shiro. Shiro scowled. "I hate fighting me." he muttered, continuing the battle.

Cosmo was busy defending the three humans. He sent bursts of energy particles, similar to the ones he used to teleport, at the Water Keith. But just like the Water Hunk, Water Keith dodged the attacks easily.

"Come on Cosmo!" Acxa cheered on.

"You can take me!" Keith yelled. Cosmo sent another burst at it, but Water Keith avoided it, and wrapped its arms around Cosmo. Cosmo growled at the Water Keith, but it felt no fear from the wolf. It threw Cosmo as hard as it could right into the Castle.

"Jerk!" Acxa growled, and fired at the Water Keith. The bullets hit it dead on, and it broke apart in some places. It snarled, and sent its arm towards Acxa. It complete encased her head in water, and lifted her off the ground. Keith drew out his sword and swiped at the tendril of water, only for his head to be encased as well.

Both kids struggled, surrounded by air, but throats filling with lungs. They were going to drown.

Coran wasn't going to have that, so he drove the Castle right into the clone. The kids dropped to the ground, and coughed up as much liquid as they could. "Thanks Coran." Acxa managed to cough out.

"Is this a normal mission for you?" Coran demanded. "Because if it is, then I'm not sure how comfortable I am with you going on these any-" Coran was cut off by the clone throwing his truck up into the air. It crashed into the ground, and the kids dashed over to him. Keith yanked the door open and helped him out.

"Are you okay?" Keith asked. Coran leaned over slightly, but Acxa caught him and cradled his head in her lap. He tried to nod, but groaned instead. "I think my leg is broken." he muttered. He let out a humorless chuckle. "This is why we wear seat-belts." Acxa nodded, and patted his head.

Keith turned his attention back towards Water Keith. "Matt..." he started, "I don't want to fight anymore." The clone didn't seem to care as a rotating sphere of water appeared in its palm.

"I said I don't want to fight." Keith said as he stood up, posture rigid and tone threatening. The Water Keith took this as an invitation to attack, and launched the sphere at Keith.

Keith snarled as the attack headed towards him. "I said I don't want to fight!" he yelled, and his shield emerged from his gem, stopping the water sphere. It broke across that rosy pink surface, and several powerful vibration were reflected back at the Water Keith. It broke apart, along with all the other water creations.

With their threats eliminated, the other Paladins turned their attention back to Keith. The bright shield broke apart down the middle, and the two pieces retracted to the gem into the glowing gem in his stomach. Keith didn't even notice.

His focus was all on the tower. He walked past Acxa and Coran, not even sparing them a glance. While Keith had never really been one to joke around, Acxa had never seen him look so serious. He had such an authoritative presence to him, it almost scared her.

He once again pressed his palms to the tower. "Matt." he called out. "I'm coming up."

Before his friend could even attempt to protest, Keith walked straight into the water. He expected to sink to the bottom, but he instead felt a force pulling him up. Soon, his head poked out of the water, and he sucked in a grateful breath of air. He looked around and realized that Matt had brought him to the top of the tower.

Keith tried to ask what was going on, but Matt beat him to it.

"What are you doing here, Keith?" he demanded.

Keith scowled. "What are _you_ doing here?" he gestured to the tower. What was interesting about it was how tall it was. From the ground, it looked like it stretched on forever, but from the top... Keith felt like he could see the entire planet. At the very least, he could see all the stars around it. "This is crazy!" he crossed his arms. "You're hurt, and..." he paused for a moment. "We just want to help you."

Matt anger only deepened. "Don't you know anything?" he demanded. "The Paladins of Voltron... The _legendary defenders_... they don't really care about other gems."

He turned around. "All they care about is the Earth, not..." Matt's voice cracked, and he fell to his knees. "I just want to go home." he whispered, and wrapped his arms around himself.

Keith sat down next to him. "I know how important home is." he offered the blue gem. "But you took away our lake, and that's a big part of my home."

Matt jerked his head to Keith. "I'm only borrowing your planet's water because my gem is cracked." he explained. Matt turned his attention back to the stars. "If I could just stretch them far enough..."

He whimpered, and sealed his eyes shut. "I'm so sorry." he whispered. "I don't know why I thought this was going to work."

Keith watched as Matt broke down. He was no longer angry, just... sad. The placement of his gem seemed so fitting... he wasn't bad... just a little broken.

Broken.

"I can fix your gem." Keith offered. "I have healing powers."

Matt's silver eyes widened. "You have healing powers?" he echoed. Keith smiled. "Yep."

Matt turned his head away slightly, and closed his eyes. "So what should I do?" he asked. Keith grimaced. "You should should probably just keep your eyes closed." he said. Keith licked his hand, smiling as the spit began to glow softly, and spread it over the lapis.

At first, nothing happened. But then the gem began to glow, and the crack sealed up. Matt let out a revealed sigh, and a pair of wings made from water emerged from his back.

Matt smiled so wide, Keith thought it would hurt. "Thank you Keith." he said.

Keith nodded. "No problem. Just..." Matt raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Keith sighed. "What did you mean when you said don't trust my friends?"

Matt's gaze darkened. "They betrayed us once." he explained. "They won't be afraid to do it again." With that, Matt launched himself from the tower, and flew off into space.

The tower of water collapsed, and broke apart. Cosmo rescued Keith as he fell down with it. They managed to reach the others just as the oceans came crashing back down.

...

The waters drifted through the atmosphere, landing back where they belonged. Entire oceans returned, rivers flowed once again, and small ponds all across the world began to refill. The Baku Lake's green waters flew across the dessert, before landing in front of a large lion-shaped temple.

People from the surrounding town flushed their beach, and cheered as it returned.

The waters pushed a large, pink bubble right up to the shore, and as it popped, everyone, from Shiro to Coran to Cosmo, tumbled out.

The group all began to cheer, happy to be alive.

Keith laughed as Coran wrapped him up in a hug. "I'm so proud of you." he whispered. Keith smiled. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around Coran. "Thanks for saving me." he said. The two separated, and Coran limped over to the Castle. "This is going to take weeks to fix." he muttered.

Keith laughed at that. He looked up at the sky. "Good luck, Matt." he whispered. "Wherever you are."

...

A few hours later, when all the humans (and Hunk) were asleep, Shiro joined Blue on the front porch of the house. The two sat on the chairs next to the porch table, Shiro wrapped up in a blanket and Blue cradling a cup of hot chocolate.

There was a strange silence between them; a question that no one wanted to ask but needed to be said.

"Matt made it off planet." Shiro said, finally. "What does that mean for us?"

Blue took a long sip from her cocoa. "We'll just have to wait and see." she said, setting the mug on the table and turning her attention to the sky.

Shiro followed her gaze to a cluster of stars. Those stars were just like all their problems.

Far enough away that they often forgot about them, but never truly gone.

 **...**

 **The End.**

 **I'm kidding. Don't worry! I'll post another chapter soon, I promise. It might be a little while before I post another chapter, but you can rest assured that Keith will be back with more adventures!**


	23. House Guest

**So I know nothing about cars. I think this chapter makes it obvious.**

 **Thank you for the positive feedback for the last chapter, I'm glad you all enjoyed it. And to answer your question Shiranai Atsune, I can neither confirm nor deny who Lance is gonna be. You'll just have to wait. ;)**

 **...**

Chapter 23: House Guest

"Look at this!" Coran said to himself, voice strained. He proceeded to ramble on about the state of his engine compartment, pointing at random pieces as he described their state. "It's going to take weeks to fix all this." he finished, and dropped his wrench onto a nearby workbench. The red-head sat down on a stool, and twirled his mustache in thought.

There's no way he would be able to get all this done on his own. Not with his condition.

He picked up his cell phone, and dialed a number. It rung for a few seconds, before Hunk's voice answered. "Hello?"

Coran smiled. "Hello Hunk." He rubbed the back of his head. Was this really a good idea? "I was wondering if you and Keith would mind coming over and helping me out today?"

On the other side, Hunk smiled. "Sure. We'll be over there in a minute." The phone cut off, and Coran set it down. He leaned back into his chair, before he realized it was a stool, and fell back on his back.

That's exactly how Hunk and Keith found him twenty minutes later. "Coran, do you need help?" Hunk asked, holding a hand to the middle-aged man. He frantically shook his head, and batted the hand away. "I'm fine." He said, and pulled himself up, wincing as he did. Hunk was skeptical, but he didn't say anything.

"So why'd you call?" Keith asked, examining the Castle. Coran shrugged. "Things have been a bit difficult for me ever since we fought that friend of yours." he answered, pointing at his left leg. "I was hoping that you two could help me with the Castle."

"Of course." Hunk answered. "You just rest up your leg, and I'll fix the truck." Hunk picked up a toolbox.

Keith pulled up anther chair. "So what did the doctor say?" he asked. Coran shifted, a look of guilt passing over his aged features. "I haven't gone yet." he admitted.

Keith scowled. "Why not?" he demanded.

Coran just shrugged. "I might not be the poorest man this side of the dessert, but I am no where near the richest."

Keith scowl only deepened. "Coran, this is serious. If you don't have someone look at it, it might not heal properly, and you'll end up with a limp the rest of your life."

"I don't get it!" Hunk's voice interrupted the lecture. "Why don't you just fix it with your healing spit?"

Keith's eyes widened. Is it sad that he had forgotten he could do that?

Keith looked to his uncle. "If it's alright with you." he offered. Coran frowned. "It won't blow me up, will it?" he asked.

"No." Keith tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it was strained. He honestly wasn't very sure. It was all still pretty new to him.

Coran awkwardly shifted his leg, and rolled up his pants' leg. Keith licked his lips, and spit into his hands. Coran stared at the glowing, pink spit as Keith rubbed it across the exposed skin. It soaked into his flesh, and he smiled.

"It feels better already!" he said. Coran gently stood up, and took a step a forward. That turned out to be a mistake. His leg gave out from under him, and Keith barely managed to catch him.

"Not fine! Not fine! Not fine!" he said hurriedly. Keith sat him back down. "Sorry." Keith apologized.

Coran shook his head. "You don't have to apologize. I'll just wrap it up in some duct tape."

"Duct tape?" Keith echoed.

Coran smiled once again. "You'd be surprised what duct tape can fix."

Keith shook his head. "You can't live like that." he scolded. He thought for a moment. "You should come stay with us." he suggested.

That notion seemed to appeal to the older human. "Really?" he asked. Keith nodded. Coran's smile widened. "I'll pack a suitcase!" he said, rushing to get up. Except his leg was still broken, and he fell to the ground.

"I'll pack the suitcase." Keith decided.

...

As soon as they made it to the house, Coran collapsed onto the couch. "That was the most physically tolling thing I've ever had to do." he whined.

Keith shot him a dirty look. "I'm the one who had to carry you!" the young Paladin said.

Coran smiled. "Thanks for that, by the way."

Keith rolled his eyes, and set Coran's bag on the floor. "You want anything?"

Coran smiled. "Cherry Coke?" he asked. Keith grabbed a can from the fridge. The two sat down on the couch.

"You wanna play some video games?" Keith asked.

"Sure." he answered.

...

After two days with Coran, Keith was beginning to wonder why they didn't hang out more often. Surprisingly, they had a lot in common. They both enjoyed reading, even if Coran preferred historical fiction to comics.

"So you don't even know who Bruce Wayne is?" Keith asked, horrified.

Coran smiled, not even bothering to look up from his book. "Well... not everyone knows as much about Marvel comics as you, Trevor."

Keith froze, and felt his hands tremble. Had Coran just...?

Coran seemed to realize what he said. "I meant Keith!" he corrected.

The young Paladin barely heard him. He felt curiosity spark. Maybe now was a good time to ask? ( _Is there ever a good time to ask?_ )

"What was my dad like?" Keith asked.

Coran pursed his lips, and took a deep breath. "He was funny. Always knew how to make people smile. And... he always found a way to make time for his family." Coran smiled, but it was bittersweet. "We grew up on a farm a few miles outside of Garrison. One of the best places ever. Our parents left it to him when they passed, and he said that he wanted to make sure the place stayed in tact. Not me though." He let out a laugh. "I wanted out of here as soon as I graduated. Took off, and began to tour the country, playing any gig I could get."

Keith suddenly felt sick, mostly cause he knew what was next.

"Despite the fact I was always moving around, Trevor always kept in touch, so I always had a pretty good idea what was going on in his life. And you could fill entire textbooks with all the adventures I wrote to him. When he died..." Coran swallowed. "It was just... just a letter. Just one letter, two sentences, that wrecked my life."

Keith stared at his uncle. "How... how did he die?"

Coran stared at the boy. "He was a firefighter. There was a little girl trapped, and he saved her, but he didn't make it out."

Keith clicked his tongue. "So he died a hero?"

"Yeah." Coran chuckled, but it was hollow. "But, that's not really much of a consultation." It took a few seconds for Keith to realize Coran was crying. He knew something like this would happen if he pressed, but he didn't regret asking. He knew more about his dad now. But... Coran was still upset.

Keith didn't know why, he had already wrecked everything, but he wrapped his arms around Coran. "I'm sorry." he whispered. He felt Coran's arms wrap around him.

The two just sat like that for a while. And even though Coran was still sad, he couldn't help but smile.

...

Keith flicked through the channels. His hair was all messy, and he was chewing on a granola bar. His uncle sat next to him, his foot propped up and a cereal bowl in his lap. "You okay with Spongebob?" Keith asked.

"Sure," Coran answered.

He swallowed another bite of fruit loops. "Got any plans for today?" he asked.

Keith shook his head. "Nothing specific, but you never know when something will come up." he answered.

As if she somehow heard him, Blue stepped out of the temple with Shiro. "Keith, you need to clear any plans you have for the day, something has come up." she said.

Keith frowned. "I'd go, but I can't leave Coran alone." he told them. Blue smirked. "Knew you'd say that." she turned towards Shiro. "Did you grab it?" she asked.

Shiro smiled. "When the warp pad was first installed, Hunk thought it would be a good idea to build a remote for it." he explained. He pulled it out of his gem.

"A remote for the warp pad?" Keith asked, skeptical.

Shiro laughed. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but believe me, it's gotten us out plenty of skirmishes." He handed it to Coran. It looked like a block of crystal with a big red button in the center. "It can be used to summon the warp stream, so if you need us, just press the button and think about where we are. We'll see light coming from the nearest warp pad, and we'll come help."

Coran eyed the remote with a mischievous look. "Don't get any ideas." Blue warned. "You got to give that back when we're done."

"Who, me?" Coran grinned. "I never have any ideas."

"True." Shiro agreed. "Let's go." he stood on the warp pad, and his friends soon joined him. As they warped away, Shiro's little jab sunk in.

"That was rude!" Coran called after them.

...

They warped onto what looked a large platform out in the middle of the ocean. The waters around them were calm, and the moon shined down on them.

"This is the Earthen Teleduv!" Blue declared as she walked to the very center of it. Below her was a glass window that led to a deep tunnel. The tunnel was filled with little, glass circles, and had what looked like a giant flashlight at the bottom.

"What does it do?" Keith asked.

"With the exception of the interplanetary warps, every warp pad on Earth has a scaultrite lens inside the teleduv it's connected to." Blue explained. She pointed at the giant flashlight. "This projects a stream of quintessence at one of the lenses, and what ever is on its corresponding warps gets beamed. The teleduv sends the stream wherever the users want to go." She paused for a moment, and a wistful smile crossed her features. "Some gem-powered teleduvs are even strong enough to generate wormholes."

Keith's mouth dropped open. "So this is the thing that controls the warps?" he asked.

"Yes." Shiro confirmed. "And our mission is to fix the protective door."

"Protective door?" Keith questioned. "What protective door?"

Blue stared at him. "The one you're standing on." Keith looked down. He realized that he was standing on a circular door, and that there was a long, jagged crack across the surface. Sparks shot out of it, and Keith barely managed to jump out of the way.

"That does not look good." he observed.

"No, it isn't." Blue bent down, and placed a hand on the crack. "It the damage gets any worse, the teleduv will explode into infinite space-time and swallow the earth."

"How do we keep it from getting worse?" Keith asked.

Shiro squatted down next to them. "The last time something like this happened, Krolia used her healing powers to fix it."

Keith scowled. "So you dragged me away from a poor, injured man because you wanted me to spit on an old machine?"

The older gems shared a similar blush. "When you say it like that..." Blue muttered.

Keith nearly laughed at the looks on his friend's faces, but he somehow managed to suppress his giggles. The young boy quickly licked his hand, and spread the liquid across the crack. "Can I go home now?" he asked.

Shiro shook his head. "It's not fixed yet." he said. Keith turned his attention back to the crack. Shiro was right. Nothing about it had changed.

The spit wasn't even glowing!

 _What...?_

The warp pad behind them began to glow softly. Keith sighed. "I better go check that out." he muttered.

"Keith." Shiro said, but the boy had already warped away.

...

The stream disappeared, and Keith stepped off the warp pad. He felt so stupid. Why was it the moment he got some kind of control over his powers, he lost it?

As he came into the living room, Keith noticed the remote sitting on the coffee table. There was a drink sitting on top of it, right on top of the button. _Maybe Coran mixed it up with a coaster?_ he guessed. _Where is Coran?_

He wasn't sitting on the couch. Keith jolted when he heard a noise in the kitchen. He made his way into the room. Coran was by the open fridge, standing on his own two feet. He turned, and walked, with no limp, over to the table. That's when Keith finally snapped.

"You lied to me?!" Keith asked, voice filled with hurt. Coran jumped. "Keith? What are you doing here?"

Keith glared at him. "You called."

"Oh." Coran realized. "Well, now you know. Surprise!" he said, giving him jazz hands.

Keith continue to glare. "Has your leg been fine this whole time?" he asked.

"No." Coran rubbed the back of his neck. "It started to feel better a couple of hours after you did the healing thing. But I couldn't walk on it until the morning after."

Keith threw his hands up in the air. "Then why didn't you say anything?"

"I just... I just wanted to spend some time with my nephew." Coran whispered.

"Well you got it! And now... my healing powers aren't working. Now, I can't keep this really old gem-machine from exploding and killing everyone!" Keith yelled.

Coran flinched. "Keith... I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

"Yeah. It is." Keith snapped. The boy stormed out of the house, and marched down the hill. Before he could get very far, he heard a noise; someone was using the warp pad. It was probably Blue and Shiro. He might as well go break the bad news.

It took five minutes of investigating for him to realize Coran had used the remote to leave.

...

When he got to the teleduv, Keith realized that a storm was raging all around it.

Keith ran to the center of the platform, only to see the giant sparks shooting out of the crack. Coran was standing next to it, a determined look on his face. "We have to fix this."

"How?!" Keith demanded. "The others said my healing powers were the only way to fix it!"

Coran shrugged. "Maybe try it again."

Keith licked both his hands and spread it all over the door. Still, nothing happened. He tried to directly spit on it, but there wasn't even a flicker of the pink glow.

"I don't know what to do." Keith admitted. "I'm sorry."

"No." Coran said coldly. "I'm sorry. This my fault. I'm going to fix it." He pulled something out of his pocket. It was a roll of duct tape.

"Seriously?" Keith yelled. Coran didn't acknowledge him, and began to tape up the crack. Keith felt another protest bubble up, but it died when he realized it was working. Sparks stopped coming from the door, and the storm disappeared.

"Told you you'd be surprised what duct tape can fix." the older man gloated. Keith snorted, and shook his head. Things... things were going to be okay.

...

"It's done! And only after 72 hours of work!" Hunk declared, right before he collapsed onto the floor. Keith sighed. "Think we could use the Castle to get him home?" he asked.

Coran ran his hands over the newly-repaired truck. "Yeah. Let's go." he said, smiling.

 **...**

 **Parts of this feel rushed, but I liked getting to write more about Keith and Coran's dynamic. We don't really see too much of the two of them.**

 **Also... I changed the cover art. Not entirely sure that was a good idea. I'm really not that good of an artist. I just hope you guys like it. If not, then feel free to tell me it's trash.**


	24. Secret Team

**So I did a pretty awful job of describing Shiro's room in chapter... four? Four? Yeah, four. Anyway, I'm too lazy to go back and rewrite it, and even if I wasn't, I doubt anyone would read it. Plus, the most accurate description I can give would wreck the tone of the story. So I'm just going to write it in here:**

 **Think of it like Pearl's, except every fountain-thing is a different shape, and like... shapes into shelves or drawers or something. Beyond that, just use your imagination. :)**

 **...**

Chapter 24: Secret Team

Keith picked up an empty bowl, and held it out to Hunk. "Where does this go?" he asked him.

"Just put it on that shelf by the waterfall." Hunk instructed. Keith walked over to said shelf, but he was met with a problem. Although the shelves were organized, there was so much stuff on them that there was no where to put the bowl. Except for one empty space just out of Keith's reach.

The two had decided to spend the afternoon in Hunk's room, but the dirty state of the room had had Hunk twitching. So Keith had offered to help him clean, a decision he immediately regretted.

Hunk's room was pretty cool anyway. With all the stuff, and the waterfall, and the giant TV Keith would never get to binge Star Wars on. Okay, that last bit was a little bitter, but he came here to watch Luke Skywalker battle Darth Vader, not stand on an unbalanced stool next to a really deep pool.

Of course, when it was said like that, how could he not have realized how bad this could go?

He ended up slipping and falling into the pool. Keith felt the water swirl around him, and it felt like he was flipped upside down. When his head broke the surface, he realized he was hanging from a ceiling.

Keith peered around. He was in some sort of bedroom, one that he had never seen before. The room was large, and Keith realized it had two doors to other rooms. One lead to what looked like a giant closet, filled with clothes in every size for every occasion, while the other seemed to be one giant beauty salon, containing every beauty product know to man, each on shelves in full display. The beauty salon also had a large bath, a gigantic vanity covered in makeup, and a sink surrounded by hair-care products.

The most interesting thing was, in the very center of the room was a large, circular bed, filled with fluffy pink and blue pillows and silk lavender blankets. Since when did rocks who never sleep need beds?

There were also mountains of books, stuff animals, and various little souvenirs from around the world on dressers and around the bed.

Curious, Keith tried to climb out of the pool, but something yanked on his leg. He was pulled from it, and appeared back in Hunk's room.

"Are you okay?" Hunk asked, setting him down.

"Yeah." he stared at the pool. "I've never seen that room before."

"Oh, that?" Hunk crouched down and ran his fingers across the surface. "That's Blue's room. We're not allowed in there." he explained.

Keith turned his attention back to the waterfall. "So all the rooms are connected." he realized.

A proud grin broke out across the citrine's face. "Yeah. Originally, Blue and Shiro didn't want a way to get into their rooms without them, but I managed to convince them it was necessary."

"That's cool, but," Keith paused, and held a hand out to the waterfall. "How exactly are you supposed to get to Shiro's room?"

Hunk blinked for moment, before he yanked Keith up by the hood and threw him into the waterfall. Keith barely got out a squeak before he felt the force of the water pulling on him. The strange thing was, it wasn't pulling down, it was pulling up.

When Keith finally felt the water vanish, he was in Shiro's room. Hunk appeared a moment later. "Here we are!" he gestured to the open cave.

Keith shushed him. "We shouldn't be in here! It's an invasion of privacy."

Hunk shook his head, not the least bit worried. "He won't care." he reasoned. "Besides-" Hunk suddenly paused, and his eyes narrowed. "What's he doing with that rose quartz bubble?" he asked.

Keith blinked in confusion. "Who?"

Hunk pointed towards another pool a few feet away. Shiro was standing on one of the platforms close by them. His back was to them, but Keith could see the light glinting off the pink bubble in his hands.

"Come on." Hunk said. The two hopped from pool to pool, until they were right behind the pearl. "What are you doing?" Hunk asked. Shiro jerked around. "What are you doing in here?" he demanded.

"We're wondering why you have this." Keith explained, tapping the bubble.

Shiro flushed. "I was just making sure the shards were reacting okay to Krolia's bubble." he explained. "I don't see how it's any of your business."

Hunk quirked an eyebrow. "Really? Well, I'm sure Blue would like to hear your findings." He smirked. "After all, she loves being told how to do her job."

Shiro paled. "You don't need to do that." he said quickly.

"Why not?" Hunk asked innocently.

"Because she'll think I don't trust her." Shiro said, anger seeping into his voice.

Hunk smiled. "Well then, guess we better put it back!" He said, and quickly reached out for the bubble. He tried to pull it away from Shiro, but the older gem tighten his grip, refusing to let go. The two struggled for a while.

"How about I take it back?" Keith suggested.

"NO!" Shiro and Hunk yelled, just as the bubble popped. The shards fell down into the pool below, and dispersed from sight.

Hunk shot his hands down, and felt around in the water. "I can't find them!" he squeaked.

"And you won't be able to. They'll be in the central pipes by now." said Shiro.

Hunk paled, mimicking Shiro's earlier expression. "Blue's going to kill us when she finds out." he whispered.

Shiro shook his head. "She isn't going to find out." he said.

Hunk and Keith shared a confused look. "How's that?" Hunk asked.

Shiro took a deep breath. "Because we're going to find all of the shards before she realizes they're gone, and we'll never speak of it again."

Keith eyes widened. _Really? That's our plan?_ he thought. He never got a chance to voice his concern as Hunk agreed to the plan, and the three set it into motion.

...

Shiro dragged them into what he called "the pipe room". It was a large, intricate mess of pipes, circulating water and sewage. Sewage. Sewage that also leaked out of the pipes and onto the platforms they were standing on.

"Why do you guys even have sewage? You never eat!" Keith whined. Even with the workers coveralls, he still felt the mud leaking into his shoes.

"That's not true!" Hunk's muffled voice called from a nearby pipe. "I eat all the time! And you know how much of a caffeine fanatic Blue is."

Keith snorted, remembering the time Blue had taken him to the World of Coke. They stayed in the Tasting Room for two whole hours.

Something shiny floating through one of the opaque pipes snapped him out of his memory. "Found one!" he called out. Hunk quickly crawled out of his pipe and scrambled over. "Nice find!" he commented. The citrine pulled out a wrench.

As soon as the pipe was undone, Keith plunged his hand in and removed the shard. "Okay, I think that's all of them." Hunk said.

"Is that the last one?" Shiro asked, springing out of the water. The two shorter Paladins were startled by his sudden appearance. Hunk even let out a squawk.

"Don't-don't sneak up on me like that!" said Hunk.

Shiro just gave him a look. "I've been here the whole time." he pointed out.

"I know. But still..." he pouted. Keith rolled his eyes at them, and got back to work.

Hunk pulled another shard out of the the pipes. "I think this is the last one!" he called out.

The three gathered around each other. The shards all sat on Keith's open palms. "One, two, three..." Shiro counted. He frowned as he counted off the last one. "That's only 16. Where's the last one?"

One of the nearby pipes began to rattle, and burst. A single, green shard fell onto the ground, and sunk to the bottom of the sewage puddle. "I found it!" Hunk declared, reaching for the sparkling stone. But it began to glow, and a foot emerged from the stone. The limb began to twitch and wiggle, rolling around like a turtle stuck on its back.

Keith stared at it. "Is that normal?" he asked. Shiro sighed, and cut through the moving limb. It exploded, and all that was left was the shard from before.

"Just bubble these." he ordered as he handed the last one to him. Keith summoned up a pink bubble, and smiled as it formed around the shards. "Guess we're done here." he said.

Shiro patted Keith on the shoulder. "You guys did a good job. But remember..." he pointed a finger at his fellow Paladins, "Not one word to Blue."

"Yes sir!" The two playfully saluted.

...

"You're not telling me something." Blue said suddenly. Keith quickly climbed off the couch, and faced the blue garnet. "What do you mean?" he asked, trying to mask his nerves.

"I mean..." Blue leaned back into the cushions. "You're not telling me something, and I'd like to know what it is."

"It's nothing. Not really a problem." Keith defended. "Just a, um... Secret team, me and Hunk and Shiro formed."

"A secret team?" Blue echoed. "Like... A team without me?"

It took Keith a second to realize what she was saying. "I mean, it's not like we're excluding you!" he tried to reassure. "We were just fixing a problem in the pipe room."

"There's a problem in the pipe room?" Blue asked.

"No!" Keith said a little too quickly. "They were... uh... j-just teaching me about... Plumbing."

Blue (metaphorically) raised an eyebrow. "If you're going to lie to my face, at least lie properly." she deadpanned.

Keith slumped onto the couch. "How'd you know?"

Blue smiled, and draped an arm over his shoulders. "Because the only plumbing you've ever been interested in is in that Nintendo game."

Keith let out a long sigh, and inched a bit closer to her. "It's nothing too serious. Just... we popped a bubble with some shards in it and spent two hours fishing them out of the pipes."

Blue laughed, actually laughed, at that. "How many shards were there?" she asked through the giggles.

Keith scowled at her mocking face. "About seventeen."

Blue hummed a tune, and began to chew her nails. It was the thing she did whenever she was scheming.

Keith really didn't want to be the victim. "I'm sorry. I should have just told you from the beginning." he apologized.

Blue stopped chewing her nail, and ruffled his his. "It's all good. Just don't do it again."

Keith felt himself smile. He turned to face her square on. "So you're okay with it?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She ruffled his hair. "But you're grounded for three days."

Keith jaw dropped, but Blue wasn't done. "Unless... you help me get the others back."

...

"Why did you want us here?" Shiro asked.

Keith had asked Hunk to meet him in Shiro's room, but when the three arrived, the two older Paladins were shocked to see Blue was already there.

"Keith asked you here..." The blue Paladin (pun intended) began, "Because I need to know exactly what happened."

Shiro and Hunk exchanged looks. "What do you mean?"

"What happened with the shards?" she asked, her voice only slightly more condescending.

Hunk's jaw dropped. "How do you know about th-" Shiro quickly covered Hunk's mouth, and masked his own worry with a laugh.

"I'm sorry Blue, but I'm not sure what you're talking about." he lied.

"Hm." Blue put a finger to her chin in thought. "So Keith's story about the popped bubble was a lie?"

Hunk gaped. "You told her?" he asked the young Paladin. He winced, and nodded. "She's a really good interrogator." Keith defended. Shiro stepped in. "Blue..."

She brushed her hair out of her face. Three angry eyes glared at Shiro and Hunk. "You two thought it would be a good idea to keep secrets from me?" she asked, voice cold and testing. All signs of previous hurt was gone.

"I get that I can loose my temper every now and again, but really?" she was shaking to much, Keith was worried she was about to explode. "When we first built this Temple, we promised that we would respect each others' privacy, but when it comes to the safety of our home, there is no such thing as a secret. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am." said the three former secret team members.

"Good." she said. Blue marched up to her friends, and wrapped all three of them up in a hug. "I love you guys." she whispered.

Hunk and Shiro both teared up. "We love you too!" they cried.

Keith just turned pink, and pretended he was anywhere else.

 **...**

 **So Keith is a bit OOC in this chapter, but I'm going to blame that on the fact that he was raised in different circumstances.**

 **I mean... it's sort of a part of his character to not really welcome physical contact, but not to hate it. Like, he doesn't initiate the half-hug from Blue, but he does accept it. But I do think that he isn't the kind of person who just handshakes or hugs random people or even friends. He's got to form strong, emotional bonds with people before he can accept casual hugs and stuff.**

 **Crap, I'm rambling. Go! Run! Save yourself!**

 **Although, leave a comment or something before you do!**


	25. Chartreuse

**Just a heads up, Acxa, Narti, Ezor, and Zethrid's last name is General. Cause they're generals. Eh? Eh? I'll stop.**

 **Enjoy the story.**

 **...**

Chapter 25: Chartreuse

"But the amulet chose me." Jim said, his voice holding more bravery than he really felt. He could hear his friends protests behind him, but he ignored them. This was his battle. As he stepped through the portal, he heard the voice of his mentor. "Master Jim... what have you done?" Then end credits blared, and the season finale of Trollhunters was over.

Acxa sighed, and leaned into one of Keith's pillows. "This show is amazing." she said.

Keith nodded in agreement. "You excited for season two next week?" he asked. Acxa smiled. "Of course! Do you want to watch it together?"

"Sure." Keith answered. The two sat in silence for a minute, just enjoying the end credits, when Acxa's phone began to ring. She reached into her bag and pulled out an old flip phone. When she flipped it open, a picture of a tall, dark skinned woman with black braids appeared.

"Looks like it's the fun police." she joked. Acxa pressed a button on the phone and held it up to her ear. "Hello Zethrid." she said in the cheeriest voice possible. Zethrid said something on the other line that Keith couldn't here, but whatever it was, it made Acxa's entire face turn pink.

"No." she said curtly. "We're just talking." Acxa nodded along with whatever her sister was saying, throwing in an occasional "yes" or "no".

"Okay, yes. I'll remember to pick up milk on the way home. Goodbye." Acxa finished, but she paused for moment. Zethrid must have said something else. "Okay, I'll go get her..." she said, and frantically covered the phone with her hand. "Zethrid wants to talk to your mom." she explained.

Keith gave her a puzzled look. "That's going to be hard, considering my mom gave up her physical form to make me."

"I can't tell her that!" Acxa exclaimed. "She'll freak out!"

Keith thought for a moment, before a plan formed. "Come on!" he said, dragging her down to the living room. As if she knew they needed her, Blue sat on the couch. "Blue!" Keith called out.

She looked up from her book. "What?"

"We need you to pretend to be my mom to Acxa's sister!" he said.

Blue looked frightened, but she grabbed the phone anyway. "Hello?" she asked. Zethrid asked something. "Yes, this is... Keith's Mom."

She asked something else, and Blue thought for a moment. "Yes. The children are playing with swords." Blue smiled. "I wouldn't worry, they're not that sharp. Oh wait. Keith just stabbed Acxa. Now she's yelling, 'if I'm going down, you're coming with me!' And now, they're both dead. Don't call again." Blue hung up, and handed it back to Acxa. Both she and Keith had horrified looks on their faces.

"I panicked." she defended.

...

"You really told Zethrid that I have a nuclear family?" he asked. His hand tightened on his phone. Why would she do that?

"Sort of." Acxa winced on the other end. "She knows that you were raised by your uncle, but I didn't do a very good job of explaining the gems." She scratched the back of her head. "Somehow, I ended up saying that you live with your mom, which in my defense, is technically true..." Acxa could practically feel Keith's angry glare. "And after what Blue said, she wants to meet your entire family face-to-face."

"When?" Keith asked.

Acxa smiled. "Dinner at Olive Garden tomorrow night?"

"We'll be there." Keith said, and hung up.

...

Keith pulled on the dress shirt, and tucked it into his slacks. "How do I look?" he asked. Blue stepped out of her bathroom wearing a purple sundress and makeup. Her hair flowed loose down her back. "Good, let me just..." she grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him into the bathroom.

Blue set him on the vanity stool, and began to brush his hair back. She pinned a few loosed strands, and pulled the top of his hair back into a ponytail. "There we are." she said, fondly. Keith smiled. "Thanks." he said.

Blue giggled. "It was nothing. I'm just glad that your hair doesn't look hideous."

Keith glared at her through the mirror. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"Nothing." she assured, running a hand over the top of his head. "At least, now that I've fixed it."

Keith suddenly felt the urge to yank the pins out.

...

Blue and Keith exited her room, and entered the kitchen. They sat down at the table, and Keith pulled out his phone. "Coran's going to pick us up in twenty minutes." he told Blue.

"So what exactly are you guys doing?" Shiro asked from the living room. He and Hunk were playing chess, and they seemed to be in a stalemate.

"Zethrid says Acxa and I can't hang out until she meets my family, which wouldn't be a problem," Keith paused to let out a frustrated sigh, "Except Acxa told Zethrid I live with my mom."

Shiro raised an eyebrow. "So Blue's going to pretend to be your mother?"

"Isn't that the thing that got you in this mess?" Hunk asked, and, ever the multitasker, moved his rook five spaces up. "Check."

Shiro scowled, but it vanished when he realized Hunk had exposed his bishop. "Hunk's got a point. Besides, lying is a dangerous game. Keeping up the lie is only going to make things worse for you."

Keith glared at the pearl. "Stop poking holes in my plan with logic and reason."

Hunk let out a tiny chuckle. "That wasn't a joke, Hunk." Keith told him.

"I'm not laughing at you, I just don't think you're the kind of person who lies." The yellow gem moved his queen over six spaces. "Check."

"I'm not." he defended. "But Zethrid wants to meet my entire family, and I don't want to freak her out."

"It's not like she has to know what we really are." Shiro countered, both in the conversation, and in the game. He subtly moved his pawn to the final space in front. "Checkmate."

Hunk's jaw dropped, and he hopped up. "Winner cleans up." he said, before heading into the kitchen.

When Shiro finished cleaning, he joined them in the kitchen. "The only problem I have with this is she's not going to meet your entire family." the gray gem explained.

"Shiro, there isn't a way to bring you all unless..." Keith trailed off as a (terrible) idea formed in his head. You could practically see the light bulb go over him. "You guys could fuse."

Blue sputtered, Hunk scoffed, Shiro frantically shook his head, and all three blushed. "We can't do that!" They said simultaneously.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because we only fuse in deadly situations!" Shiro explained.

"And even if we did fuse when ever, our vermarine isn't the most stable fusion ever." Hunk backed up. A frown spread across Keith's face. "I guess you're right." He leaned into his chair, and let out a long sigh. "I guess I'll never get to hang out with Acxa again." he sighed.

"We have to do it." Blue said, her tone firm.

Keith grinned at the sound of Hunk and Shiro's protests."Shiro, I know how you feel about eating," Blue began, "and I know fusing for too long makes you uncomfortable, Hunk," she continued, "But this isn't about us. It's about Keith." she gestured to the youngest Paladin.

Shiro let out a long, frustrated sigh. "Fine."

Keith smiled. "You guys are the best!"

...

Ezor drummed her fingers on the table, bored out of her mind. She was already having a pretty crummy day, starting with the fact she had to come to this terrible dinner, continuing with the fact she had to lie to Zethrid, and ending with the Universes being _late._

"We have been waiting for thirty minutes." Zethrid growled out, matching Ezor's impatience.

Acxa fidgeted with the hem of her dress. "I'm sure they'll be here soo-" she was cut off by a loud rumble. Confused, she turned her head to see a six-armed, forty foot tall woman marching towards the restaurant.

Is it sad that that wasn't the weirdest thing she had ever seen?

"It's a good thing we requested an outside table." Ezor muttered.

" **Don't be rude.** " Narti signed.

As the woman got closer, it was easier to make out the details of her appearance. She had short, messy hair with thick, green bangs covering her eyes. Her skin was a pale green, almost translucent, and she wore a gray sundress.

Keith, and a very frazzled Coran sat on her shoulders. "Hi, everyone! Sorry we're late!" Keith called out. The woman picked him and Coran up, and set them down at their places on the table.

"Hello." The woman said. She sat down on her knees next to them and folded all three sets of arms in her lap. "Thank you for inviting us, Miss General." she said politely.

The four sisters just looked at the fusion in terror. Coran cleared his throat. "It's nice to finally meet all of you." He held out his hand. "I'm Keith's uncle, but everyone calls me Coran."

"And this," Keith butted in, "is my mom... Chartreuse."

"But you can call me Char." she added. Chartreuse held out one of her right arms. Zerthrid stared at it, before realizing she should shake it. She did so awkwardly, even though Char's hand was big enough to hold her.

"So... What's everyone ordering?" Char asked.

Acxa gave her an shaky grin. "I was thing of the baked ziti?" she answered. "That sounds good." Char said.

As soon as the two families ordered, silence descended over the group. They needed a really good icebreaker, and they needed one fast.

"So how did you two meet?" Zethrid questioned.

Char blinked, before frowning. She turned her attention to her drink. "I don't... I'm not a very good storyteller."

She looked back up, and smiled. "But Keith is!" Char patted his head. "Go on, tell them!" she encouraged.

Said boy turned to give her an a dirty look. "I wasn't there. I couldn't do it justice." he argued.

Char smile widened into a very Blue-like smirk. "You've heard it so many times, it's like you were there." she shot back. Keith glared at her, before resigning himself to his fate. "After my dad died, my mom knew she couldn't take care of me all on her own, so when she found out my dad had a brother, she asked him to help." he explained.

Another awkward silence descended on the group. Zethrid made a mental note not to ask anything like that ever again.

"What do you three do for a living?" Char said, resting her chin on one of her closed fists.

Ezor tisked. "You've known us for years, and you still don't know we work in a coffee shop?" she questioned teasingly.

Char suddenly looked very selfconscious. "I knew that!" she squeaked. "I was just trying... What do you do Zethrid?" the fusion wanted nothing more than to disappear, to hide from the disapproving glares and the mocking looks, but she had to keep it together... for Keith.

"I'm a security guard." the answer cut through Char's inner struggle. She stared at Zethrid for a moment, and gave her a shaky smile. "That sounds fun."

"It is." Zethrid took a sip from her drink. "What do you two do?"

Coran smiled. "I run an autoshop on the other side of time. And Char here..." he trailed off. He looked to her, but she just gently shook her head. Why didn't they spend more time thinking about this stuff?

"My mom works on an apple farm!" Keith answered. "She uses her arms to pick from the really tall branches."

Coran smiled, and patted Keith on the arm. "You know what they say. An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

Char smiled, seeing where they were going with this. "Mmm-hmm. I hate doctors."

"Our father was a doctor." Zethrid deadpanned.

Char turned pale green. "I, uh... well. You see..."

"Keith, help me find the restroom!" Acxa interrupted.

The two skirtted off, leaving a flushed Coran, stuttering Char, and angry Zethrid.

...

The two kids walked down the hallway towards the bathroom. When they arrived, Keith sat down.

"So things are going pretty well right now, huh?" Keith asked.

Acxa jolted around, and glared at him. "Are you kidding me? What... who did you bring to dinner?"

Keith hit her with the same look. "It's my family. It's all the gems, fused together."

Acxa crossed her arms, and sat down. "Why didn't you just bring one of the gems? This could have actually worked!"

Keith just shrugged. "I'm sick of lying." He stared at her for a second, before he realized something. She was still wearing her old frames, just without the lenses. "Your glasses." he whispered.

Acxa just barely heard him. She reached a hand up, and grasped the frames. "What about them?" she questioned.

"You don't need to wear them. I fixed you eyes." he explained.

 _All that stuff she said about my family..._

"You're just ashamed of me." he accused. Acxa looked like she had been slapped in the face, but her face contorted into a snarl. "Let's just try and get through dinner, okay?" she spat.

She stood and marched past him, and he glared at her back. As he followed her, Keith wasn't sure if he wanted this to all work out.

...

Food arrived at the table, and everyone dug in. Everyone except Char.

" **Aren't you hungry**?" Narti signed.

Char smiled. "Yeah, I just have terrible table manners." She speared one of her shrimp, and held it up to her mouth. But at the last second, she jerked her head away. "What are you doing?" she asked herself. "Can't we just make up an excuse?" she whined. "Cut it out you two!" she scolded.

Everyone stared at her. Not even Keith was sure what was happening. He had never seen anything like this. Granted, he didn't know too much about fusion, but this was weird.

What made it worse was that Char started to whack herself with her arms, and her face cracked. She groaned, and her entire body turned to light. _Oh no_.

She split into three parts, and Keith's friends lay on the ground. Keith and Coran stood up, and ran over to them. "Are you three alright?" the older human asked.

"We're fine, I just couldn't eat that." Shiro said as he stood up.

"Eating is not that bad, Shiro." Hunk scolded.

"You chew food into mush, swallow that goop, and then it comes out of you!" Shiro said exasperatedly.

"It doesn't matter what you two think!" Blue butted in. "We're doing this for KEITH!" she yelled, and slammed the shorter Paladins' heads together.

They shrieked in pain, and yelled out Blue's name simultaneously.

Keith shook his head, and decided he should go apologize for this disaster.

"I never thought I wouldn't be able to trust you." he turned to see who had had said that, when he realized it was Zethrid to Acxa. His friend looked so sad. She sucked in a breath, and ran from the restaurant.

...

Twenty minutes later, Keith found Acxa sitting on a bus bench. She didn't look like she had been crying, but her eyes were pretty red. "Hey." she called out softly.

He smiled, and sat down next to her. "I'm sorry. I know how much disappointing your family sucks."

"I'm not upset about that." she snapped. "I'm angry at myself. I'm not ashamed of you, I was just worried that my family would think all this magic was dangerous, and then they wouldn't let me hangout with you anymore." She bit her lip. "But all I did was hurt you."

Keith sighed, because he knew what he had to do. No matter how weird it would be, he had to make this up to her. Keith slung his arm over her shoulder. She tensed for a moment, surprised, but she calmed down after a second.

"I wish there was a way for us to hang out without anyone getting in the way." he muttered.

Acxa perked up a bit. "Keith, let's just hop on a bus and run away without telling anyone!"

"That's a great idea!" Keith agreed. As if fate was listening, a bus drove up at that moment, and the kids got on.

They didn't get very far as Chartreuse started running towards the vehicle moments later. "KEEEEEEEEEITH!" she roared. Like, actually roared, because her face grew into a lion muzzle, and burst of green flame emitted from her mouth.

The two kids shrieked in fear, and clutched each other tightly. Char picked up the entire bus in four of her arms. "You two come out of there right now!"

"Okay! We will!" Acxa promised.

"Yeah! Just put us down first!" Keith agreed.

...

"Thank you for getting her back!" Zethrid cried out. She, Ezor, and Narti wrapped the girl up in a hug. "If you ever do anything like that again, you'll be grounded for a year." Zethrid warned.

"Can I still hang out with Keith?" the girl asked. Zethrid raised an eyebrow. "What made you think I wasn't going to let you hang out with him?"

"I thought that you were mad about the magic." she answered.

Zethrid laughed. "I just wanted to make sure his family didn't run a drug cartel or something. Coran and the others filled me in on your little ruse." she gestured to the humans.

"So we can still hang out?" Keith asked her.

"Sure." Zethrid said.

"But you can't watch TV for the next three thousands decapheobs." Shiro said coldly.

Keith stared at her. "But season two of Trollhunters comes out next week!"

"Then you're just going to have to hope Netflix is still around by then." Blue said as she ruffled his hair.

 **...**

 **GO WATCH 3BELOW! Seriously. If you got the Trollhunters reference, but you still haven't seen 3Below, get on that!**

 **I love the lore, the characters, the design of pretty much everything, it all ties together really well with the Trollhunters timeline, 10/10!**


	26. Watermelon Zoo

**So this is a really short chapter, but I hope you still enjoy it.**

 **...**

Chapter 26: Watermelon Zoo

After a long day of training, it was nice have a sunset that warmed up the whole sky. Keith smiled as the final rays hit his face. They were so warm and bright. Garrison might be a wasteland, but the sunsets were beautiful.

Especially from the top of Coran's building. All was at peace. At least was until Keith felt something sticky wack him across the face. He peered through the sun rays, (shouldn't he be wearing sunglasses?) and realized it was Coran. The middle-aged man was chewing on some watermelon, and had spit seeds right onto Keith's face. Keith sent him a dirty look.

Coran felt eyes on him, and looked over to his nephew. He had the decency to look sorry. "My bad." he said, handed Keith a small cloth. Keith wiped his face. "Thanks." he said sarcastically.

The boy wiped his face off. "Where'd you get the watermelon from?" Keith asked.

Coran smiled. "It was on sale at the farmer's market. Want some?"

Keith wasn't a big fan of watermelon, but it _was_ really hot out. The two sat there for several minutes, munching on watermelon and spitting out the seeds. They made games out of it.

See how far you can spit, see how many seeds you can spit, see what tricks you can spit... the list goes on.

Finally, when the sun had long been down, the two fell right asleep on their rusty lawn chairs.

...

Keith felt something cold and wet smack his face. It was course, and smelled fresh, almost like a leaf.

He opened his eyes, but all he saw was green. Keith pushed the vine out of his face.

 _Wait a second... vine?_

Keith didn't remember falling asleep in the woods. He quickly sat up, and looked at the roof top. It was covered in vines. They stretched across the roof, and down the side of the building. The whole shop looked like a potted plant. _Where did these come from?_ he wondered.

"What happened?!" Coran cried out. He walked up Keith. "What's going on?" he asked him. Keith just shrugged.

"I'm sure the others will know." Keith said, pulling out his phone.

...

Blue trudged through the thick plants. "That's something you don't see everyday."

Hunk picked up a large watermelon from the mess. But it wasn't a normal watermelon; it was shaped like a giraffe. "How did Keith grow these?" he asked.

"Krolia had to power to summon plant life in times of need." Shiro observed. "Looks like Keith's gained another one of her powers."

"But Krolia's plants moved. These things aren't doing anything." Blue said, running a hand over the back of an elephant.

"But at least I made them. I didn't think my spit would be able to do anything after I lost my healing powers." Keith said, as held held up a small watermelon. It was about the size of a newborn cat, but it was shaped like a dragon. A four headed dragon. It kind of looked like the Ultra-Dragon from Ninjago. Keith was going to keep it.

"What exactly are we going to do with all these?" Coran asked.

Blue tisked. "Keith, why don't you go sell the watermelons down by the pier, and we'll help Coran clear away the vines?"

Keith nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

...

It took about thirty minutes to get all the watermelons in the truck and unload them out by the pier. Then after spending another half hour setting up a stand, Keith was left alone with his creations. At first glance, they looked like normal, everyday watermelon animals, but Keith realized that he had seen all of these animals, whether in real life or on TV.

His favorite was the Ultra-Dragon, but there was a two-inch version of Cosmo, a two-foot lion pride, several rat-sized hippos, and plenty more. All of them were completely watermelon, and had little seeds in the place of eyes.

Keith was almost sad to sell them, but it's not like he could eat all of them, and no point in wasting them.

"Hey Keith!" Ezor said, startling the poor boy. He turned to give her an angry glare. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry." she snapped. "Just wanted to buy a watermelon."

Keith nearly face-palmed, realizing that he had just been standing there, like an idiot, admiring his creations.

"Right, sorry. Which one?" he asked.

"How much for a hippo?" Ezor asked, staring at one of the small animals.

"Uh... $5?" Keith offered. Ezor gave him a puzzled look. "Just $5?"

Keith nodded. "Alright." She handed him a five, and left with a watermelon. After that, the rest of them sold pretty quickly. Mr. Iverson bought the elephant, Shay bought a monkey, someone bought the rest of the hippos... even Bob a spider.

Soon, Keith was all alone with his dragon. "Alright Ultra, let's pack up and head home." he instructed, counting the cash he had made.

"You're packing up?" Plaxum suddenly appeared. She looked curious. One of the customers at the fry stand had shown off a watermelon scorpion Keith had grown, and she had wanted one.

"Yeah. We're all sold out." Keith said ruefully. "Maybe next time."

Plaxum frowned, and turned to leave, but she paused suddenly. The preteen cocked her head. "What about that one?" She asked, pointing at the dragon.

Keith looked at his watermelon. "You mean Ultra?"

Plaxum's eyes widened. "Like from Ninjago?"

Keith smiled. Sometimes, he forgot that she loved the show more than him. "Yeah, but he's not for sale."

But before Keith could blink, Plaxum had swiped the watermelon, and taken off sprinting. Keith blinked, confused, before anger seared his features. "PLAXUM!" he screamed.

He dashed after her, mad as a hornets' nest. "Plax, give me my dragon back!" he ordered. Either because she didn't hear him or she didn't care, probably the latter, Plaxum didn't stop.

Keith chased after her. But, unfortunately, she was always way too fast for him, and he couldn't catch up. He didn't need to though. Ultra began to twitch, and he wiggled his wings. A second later, he flapped them, and flew right out of Plax's arms. He flew back to Keith, and landed in his arms.

Keith smiled, relieved, before he realized that a watermelon had come to life and flew. "You're alive?" the kids asked simultaneously. The little dragon chipped in response.

"Awesome." Plaxum smiled, and scratched under one of the dragon's chins. "If this little guy is alive, who knows which one of the others is." she observed.

Keith paled. "Oh no."

...

Keith wasn't sure why he was storming into people's houses to get some watermelons back, especially since they all probably had knives to cut the fruits with. But after two hours, he and Plaxum managed to buy all the watermelons back and get them to his house.

"So what are you going to do with them?" she asked.

Keith shrugged. "Maybe I'll just keep them here."

"Nope! Not doing that!" Shiro protested. He had just come into the house, leaves in his hair and covered in scratches from cleaning.

Plaxum raised a brow. "What happened to you?"

Shiro smiled. "I was clearing away some overgrown vines," Keith turned pink at the mention of his creations, "when my scissors broke. I need new ones." He walked into the kitchen and pulled a pair out of the drawers. "Keith, we both know you can't eat all of the watermelons before they go bad."

"This isn't about eating them. They're alive!" Keith explained.

"And there's nowhere to put them!" Plaxum backed up.

Shiro tapped his chin for a moment. "I think I might have a place."

...

"Welcome to Mask Island!" Shiro said happily. All the watermelons scrambled off the warp pad, happy to be on the jungle-covered island.

Keith smiled as they made themselves at home. Ultra chirped from his shoulder. "Do you want to stay here?" he asked the melon. All four of his heads nodded. Keith smiled.

"Keep an eye on them for me." he ordered. The dragon chirped again, before taking off after the others.

 **...**

 **If you want to know a fun fact about this chapter, I had originally planned to make all the watermelons lions, but I then I bindged Ninjago while writing this, so the whole Watermelon Zoo was just a ploy to bring in Ultra. :D**


	27. Cosmo 3: The Hidden World

**This one is late. Feel free to yell at me, I'll take it. School has been so hectic, you know what I'm saying?**

 **...**

Chapter 27: Cosmo 3: The Hidden World

"Okay, so that's a mango-pineapple smoothie, a black coffee, and three doughnuts." Ezor read off Keith's order. "Anything else?"

"You want anything?" Keith asked his pink wolf. Cosmo walked up to the Cafe's only freezer, and pressed his face against it. Keith realized Cosmo wanted some bubblegum ice cream. "Sorry, buddy." He rubbed Cosmo's head. "But I'm not wasting money on that crap."

The wolf pouted, and instead walked up to the counter. He sat down and pointed at the cookie jar. "Those don't have chocolate in them, do they?"

"They're dog treats." Narti signed.

"Then we'll take 2." Keith ordered. He handed them their pay, and left.

...

Keith walked into the house, drinks in hand. "I brought the snacks!"

Blue held up a hand, and Keith gave her her coffee and doughnut. She preceded to munch on the sugary pastry. "About time. We were supposed to start training an hour ago. Now it's too late."

Keith shot her a look, and sat down. "Excuse me if a teleporting, runaway wolf is hard to catch."

Blue smiled, and ruffled his hair. "It's no big deal. I was going to have you chase Cosmo anyway."

"What sort of training is that?" Keith asked, taking a sip from his smoothie.

"It's endurance training. Your mother loved it." they both froze as soon as Blue finished talking. She quickly blushed, and stammered out. "Coming Shiro!" before scurrying off.

Keith rolled his eyes. Last time something like had happened, he had managed to find out his mom's favorite color. This time, he couldn't even ask a question. Why did nobody want to talk to him about this?

Keith felt something poke the back of his head. He turned around, and saw it was Cosmo. The pink wolf almost looked confused.

"I'm fine. I just wish I knew more about her." Keith said, rubbing Cosmo's head. The wolf's eyes widened, before he turned, and sprinted out the door.

The hybrid watched him leave. "Flaker!" he yelled.

...

Keith was surrounded by pink, fluffy grass. It made him feel safe and warm. Nothing could hurt him here. He looked around. Nothing but pink grass and pink skies as far as the eye could see. He liked it, except...

He couldn't breathe.

He desperately tried to suck in some air, but he couldn't. There wasn't any.

But then, Keith heard a voice. It was calling out to him. It got louder, closer, he was saved! "Keith!" Shiro said as he yanked Cosmo off the child. Keith bolted up, and breathed in as much oxygen as possible.

"Was Cosmo sitting on me?" he asked, still huffing.

"Yeah. I'm not sure why. He's never done anything like this before." Shiro said worriedly.

Keith paused, and turned to look at the pearl. "'Before.'" he echoed.

Shiro's face turned blue (his way of blushing, apparently). "Well, you see..." he began to ramble, stuttering out every excuse he could thin of, before he sighed. "I like to watch you sleep sometimes."

Keith stared at him. "Can you both please go away?" The pearl and lion simultaneously frowned, before stalking off. Keith shook his head, annoyed. He climbed off the couch, and went off to his room.

...

Two hours later, Keith found himself back in the pink field. It sucked because he was having a dream where he was battling Darth Vader.

He managed to get a better look around, noticing flowers. _Why do I keep ending up here?_

He tried to sigh, but he realized he couldn't breathe. It was like, there was a weight on him, smothering him. Why was this happening? Wait a second... _Cosmo_.

Keith bucked up, and wiggled out from under the wolf. "What is wrong with you?" he wolf jumped on him, but Keith managed to dodge at the last second. "No!" he ordered. Keith scrambled back, and glared at Cosmo. "What do you want?" he asked.

Cosmo laid down, exposing his belly. "You just wanted a belly rub?" Keith wondered. _He never lets me touch his belly._ Suspicious, Keith crept up to the wolf. He gently placed a hand on his animal friend's stomach. Cosmo suddenly latched onto Keith, and forced him flat onto the bed. He sat on Keith, and spun around, so that Keith was swamped with the wolf's pink mane.

The whole time, Keith was shrieking "No, Cosmo, no!" He went quite when he realized that he was back in the field.

The gem jerked back, and stared at the wolf. "What was that?"

Cosmo just laid back down, exposing his back. Something clicked in Keith's mind, and he pressed his face into the mane. He found himself back in the field, and his eyes widened. He yanked his head back out, and smiled. Keith pressed his face back down, and pulled back up. He giggled, he was having a good time messing around with the fur. Cosmo growled.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." he patted the wolf on the head. He then climbed right into the mane, completely submerged in the pink fur. Keith looked around the field, and noticed a large island out in the middle of it. There was a single tree on the island, large and glowing, with stuff hanging off it. It almost looked like an alien tree, but that was ridiculous, right?

The first thing he noticed was a knife, the very same knife Keith had pulled out of Cosmo's head a few weeks ago. Then he noticed a large chest, a bubble, and a fire fighter jacket hanging from the tree. What really got his attention was a small notebook sitting by the roots. It had a note taped to it that was labeled, "For Keith."

Keith bent down and picked it up. _Who would leave this for me? And why?_ he wondered. _And how does this huge place fit inside Cosmo's mane?_ Keith suddenly felt the room go black, and he panicked. He dove into the grass, and resurfaced back in his bedroom. He looked to the wolf. "Did you want me to find this?"

Cosmo nudged the book with his nose, and Keith pulled off the note.

 _Hello, Keith_

 _If you're reading this, then it means I'm long gone..._

Who was this from? And how would they have known him.

 _I hope that the others have been taking good care of you. I wouldn't expect anything less from them. Blue's read every book she can get her hands on, and stars know Shiro overprotective. Let's not forget that Hunk would never let you go more that an hour without food._

Whoever it was, they somehow knew his friends.

 _And I know that with Coran's help, you've probably turned into a strong, confident young man. And even if you haven't, I know I'd be proud of you._

Seriously, who was this?

 _Keith, we can't both exist. I'm going to become half of you..._

 _And every second you love being yourself, that's me. Loving you, and loving being you._

Were those little dots on the page tear stains? Seriously, who was this from?

 _And I know that you're going to be someone extraordinary._ _Take care of them, Keith._

 _Mom_

The boy blinked back tears at the words. This was from his mother? He... he felt... happy. He looked over to the sleeping wolf. "Thanks, bud." Keith whispered, and wrapped his arms around Cosmo.

Stars, he loved this guy.

 **...**

 **These things just keep getting shorter and shorter.**


	28. Warp Tour

**I have wanted to write this for what feels like a hundred years.**

 **...**

Chapter 28: Warp Tour

It was an average Wednesday for the Voltron Paladins. And by that I mean, they were on a mission to defeat a mud monster in a magical flower field.

"So I think that mission went well." Shiro commented, stepping onto the warp pad. "You did good job with maintaining distance, Hunk."

The citrine quickly joined him on the warp pad. "Thanks. You did a pretty good job with distracting the monster."

Blue joined them next. "And Keith did an excellent job of staying out of the way."

"It's what I do best," Keith growled, walking to them. The poor boy was covered in mud and flowers from the magical field, which was causing his stupid allergies to act up. "Other than die." he said dramatically. He flopped onto the warp pad, face pressed into the cool crystal.

"Awww, you poor thing." Blue said, ruffling his hair. "Want me to carry you home?"

"Yes, please." he mumbled. Blue picked him up and wrapped him up in her arms like one would a baby. Shiro rolled his eyes, an amused smile on his face. "You guys ready?"

"Sir, yes sir!" the other Paladins agreed.

A warp appeared a round them, and Keith felt even more hazy. He would later make a note never to warp while having an allergic reaction to pollen... or anything, but Keith was really only allergic to pollen...

"Keith!" a concerned voice broke through the haze. Keith opened his eyes to an infinite void, with only small streaks of light poking through it. Were those other warp streams? Keith thought for a moment, before he realized that there was something inside another warp. He only got a brief glimpse at it, but it was definitely there.

Keith angled his head, hoping to get a better look, but he couldn't breathe. He knew that feeling, but it wasn't like not being able to breathe in Cosmo's mane. This was colder... harsher... a place that actually looked like you could die in it...

Something grabbed Keith's hair, and pulled him back into the stream. "Try not to stick your head outside. It's very cold, and there's no air. Don't sneeze your head out there again." Keith nodded, but the queasy feeling stuck wit him.

He finally managed to work up the courage to tell his friends about what he saw two hours later, and they set out to find this mysterious monster.

...

They checked Mask Island, and said 'hi' to all the watermelons living on it.

They checked the earthen teleduv. "I don't see a monster, but the teleduv seems to be holding up fine." Hunk commented.

They even checked back at the magical field, but quickly left when Keith started to sneeze.

"Happy now?" Shiro asked. Keith glared at him. "We have to keep looking."

The next place they warped was the sky spire. "See anything suspicious?" Hunk asked, pulling out a pair of binoculars. Keith looked around with him. There had to be something!

Some nearby bushes began to shake. "Ah ha!" Keith pointed at the flora. "There it is!"

The gems all pulled out their weapons, ready to take this thing down. The monster emerged from the bushes to reveal... a cow?

"There you are!" Blue said, pushing past her friends. She walked up to the cow, and wrapped a rope around its neck. "You know this thing?" Shiro asked.

"Her name is Kaltenecker." Blue informed them. "And she lives on Keith's family farm."

"She does?" Hunk questioned. "Since when does the Universe Farm have cows?"

"Since I got chased through a mall for stealing a video game console." she said, leading the cow to the warp pad.

"You stole a game console?" Shiro asked, incredulous. Blue just laughed. "Can't tell you all of my secrets."

"My family has a farm?" Keith interrupted, just as the warp appeared around them.

...

"My family has a farm." Keith said, looking around the pasture. Kaltecker happily munched on some nearby grass.

"Did Coran never mention this place?" Shiro asked.

"A couple times. I always figured they had sold this place." he explained. The boy looked out at all the animals, and smiled. "Looks like the cow's settled. Time to go back out."

He turned to leave, but Shiro grabbed his sleeve. "Where are you going?"

"To look for the warp monster." he replied.

Shiro sighed. "There is _no warp monster_."

Keith turned away, hiding a scale. "But you're wrong." he muttered.

"Really?" _Dang it, he heard me._ "Keith, we already checked. It's fine. There's nothing." Shiro scolded.

Keith yanked his arm out of the pearl's gasp. "How can you say that? I know I saw something in the stream!"

"And I know you didn't" Shiro shot back.

Why did no one believe him? Sure, he was usually wrong about these things, but this time he was right!

"Keith, you just don't know what you're talking about." Blue chimed in.

This just made him angrier. At least Blue usually listened to him. Now she was turning on him too.

He clenched his fist. "It sounds like maybe... YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" He screamed.

Blue looked shocked for a moment, before her face contorted into a snarl. She looked ready to chew him apart. But Hunk stepped in front of him. "Okay, Keith. That's enough. Let it go."

Keith scoffed. "Fine." he spat. "But don't come crying to me when your face gets eaten or something."

...

Keith sat down in front of the warp, his training sword clenched in his hands. He stared right at the warp, daring something to reveal itself. Nothing did, not for almost six hours, before there was a bright light. It wasn't from the warp.

Hunk walked out of the Temple, a cherry coke and bag of Doritos in his hands. "Hey buddy. How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Keith snapped.

"You don't look fine." Hunk observed.

"Well I am." Keith said, clenching the sword tighter.

Hunk sighed, and sat the snacks down. "Just between you and me..." Keith turned his eyes of the warp for the first time since he sat down. "I believe you."

Keith shocked turned into relief. "You do?"

"Yeah." Hunk smiled. "But I don't think it came from Earth... I think it came from space."

Keith snorted. "Isn't that a little cartoony?"

Hunk rolled his eyes. "Maybe, but it's no worse than some of the theories you've come up with." he walked back over to the Temple door. "Call me if you see something."

 _I will_. he silently promised.

So... could the thing he had seen have come from space? It didn't really seem plausible. Then again, neither did there being anything else in the warp. "Come on, Universe! Throw me a bone or something!" he pleaded.

Something crashed through the roof, and landed right next to him, almost taking his head out in the process. Keith stared at the hole and looked back down at the mysterious object. It looked like a triangular plane or something. It began to whirl, and removed itself from the floor.

"You're the thing I saw!" Keith exclaimed, hopping up. His sword fell to the ground, forgotten. "Just wait till I show you to the others." he tried to pick the droid up, but it flew around him. It went over it his and landed on the warp pad. For whatever reason, Keith thought it was a good idea to jump on it. The warp pad began to glow, and the stream activated.

"Where are you going?" he demanded. The droid beeped a couple of time, before dozens of orb-shaped droids joined the stream. They pushed back against the boy, forcing him to the edge of the stream. Still, he refused to let go of the first one. The others pushed him out of the stream, and he drifted back into the darkness.

Keith wrapped his arms around the small droid as tight as he could. "I was _right."_ he breathed out.

He looked around. That didn't really mean much now, didn't it? "I'm going to die." he realized. "And the others are never going to know what happened to me." That was all he could say, because he couldn't _breathe_ anymore.

 _I'm so sorry..._

Keith suddenly found himself wrapped in a tight hug. He began to sob, was he really hallucinating right before he died?

"Shhh." a warm voice whispered. "Take deep breaths."

Oh, thank the stars... it really was Blue. They were safe, safe inside a warp stream. She leaned back so that Keith was sitting in her lap. She slid the little droid out of his hands. "So this is what you saw in the warp?" she asked, voice tense.

Keith cringed, and wiped away at the snot and tears dribbling down his face. "I don't care about that anymore."

Blue wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and patted his back. "I do." she said forcefully. "I should have listened to you." The garnet quickly wiped a tear out from under her bangs. "You're a Paladin too." She hugged him, and rubbed little circles on his back.

Keith hiccupped. _Stop crying, stop crying, stop crying._

"Keith, are you alright?" Shiro asked, popping into the warp with them. He frantically began to move strands of hair, looking for bruises and bumps. Hunk appeared next to them. "Blue said that you were outside the warp stream, and then I heard the warp activate, and you had vanished-"

Hunk rant was cut off by a beep from the droid. Shiro and Hunk gasped.

"What is that?" Shiro asked.

The little droid beeped for a second, before wiggling out of Blue's hand. It flew off to join the other, orb-shaped droids that were hiding the the stream. All the droids and the four Paladins coasted along, until they found themselves by the earthen teleduv. "Why did they come here?" Shiro asked, steeping off the warp.

The droids all flew over to the largest warp pad on the platform. Blue had once called it 'an interplanetary warp.'

It almost looked like the droids were _fixing_ it.

Keith felt Blue wrapped all of them up in her arms. She ran over to the edge of the platform, and pulled out her her scythe. She struck it into the ground, and slid over the edge, and the four Paladins latched onto her. They hung there for a second, before there was a bright flash of light.

A large, purple wormhole appeared over the warp, and a gem came out of it.

A small, green gem, with a small, green, triangular gem on her forehead. A thick visor covered the upper half of her face, and there were yellow-green eyes hidden behind it. Her hair was a yellow-green color as well, and it was pulled in to a long side-ponytail. She wore what looked like a lab coat over some sort of uniform, which had the strangest symbol.

But none of that was intimidating. What was intimidating were the long, crystal-looking limbs. Her feet looked more like stilts, and her arms were similar, excepts for the detached, floating cylinders that were her finger. She looked like some sort of alien-cyborg.

"Who is that?" Shiro whispered.

The girl began to float, and Keith realized there was some sort of hoverboard under her.

"Star date 3/27/2-10651. This is peridot Katie Gunderson speaking." The girl said in an almost bored voice. "I have successfully made it to Earth, and shall begin a routine inspection of the colony's integrity." she was speaking into a small device embedded in her arm.

"The warp seems to be in perfect condition..." she trailed off, noticing the triangular droid. "What is it, Rover?" she asked it. It flew over to the teleduv door, revealing the duct tape still strapped to it. The gem's eyes widened. "I'm cutting this expedition short." she said. "I think this area may have been compromised."

Rover whirled over to her, and the two of them warped away, but not before she dropped something on the ground. As soon as they were gone, it let out a little blast of energy, and the remaining droids deactivated.

As soon as she was gone, the Paladins climbed back up on the platform. A tense silence descended over them. No one knew what to say or what to do. "Who was she? And what did she want?" Keith asked after a minute. Shiro and Hunk exchanged looks, silently debating over what to say. Blue beat them to it.

"It doesn't matter." she said coldly. The blue gem marched past them, and stopped in front of the big warp. She pulled out her scythe, and made it bigger. She doubled it in size, and brought it down with maximum effort.

The entire warp shattered. Pieces flew everywhere, and dust settled over them. Blue turned around, yellow eyes shining with anger.

"She isn't coming back."

 **...**

 **And boom! Finally brought Pidge in, and she's going to be back! Honestly, out of all the characters, Pidge and Peridot are the most parallel with each other. It was a lot of fun imagining Pidge in her place throughout the series, and I really can't wait to write more.**

 **Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter, I'll see you next week.**


	29. Home

Chapter 29: Home

Keith leaned back into the couch, and turned the page of his book. The title read, "The No-Home Boys", and Keith seemed to be enjoying it. He gasped when he read the last page, and frantically flipped through what was left. "Do they only put the blank pages in the back to create false hope?" he whined.

Before he could get into a rant, the warp activated. He turned his head just in time to see his friends appear on the warp pad, each carrying several of the warp droids.

"Are those Katie's robots? Why'd you grab them?" he asked.

Shiro set them down. "We can't risk Katie reactivating them."

"She and the gems of Dabizaal cannot be allowed to resume their work." Blue backed him up.

"What exactly are they planning?" Keith asked innocently. Shiro and Blue both looked uncomfortable, and Hunk almost looked embarrassed.

Shiro was the one to break the awkward silence. "There was a time that gems wanted to something really bad to the earth. But there were gems like me, Blue, and your mother who decided to fight for this planet."

"Even if it meant we could never go home." Blue finished.

Keith frowned at the sad looks on his friends faces, but he wasn't sure how he could cheer them up. Maybe a sarcastic joke?

"So we're just like the No-Home Boys?" he attempted.

"No-Home Boys?" the confused gems asked.

Keith blushed. Why did he have to open his mouth? "Yeah. They're a pair of homeless teenagers running around the country going on adventures."

Blue giggled, and patted Keith's head. "Keith, we aren't like the No-Home Boys. We are literally standing in your home right now."

Keith sent her the meanest scowl he could muster, and continued to glare at her and Shiro's retreating backs as they left. It only vanished when he noticed a sad look on Hunk's face. "Do you miss your home, too?"

Hunk looked up, and blinked, confused. "What?"

"Do you miss Dabizaal?" Keith repeated.

The citrine just shrugged. "I've never been."

Keith frowned. "Then where are you from?"

Hunk paled, as if realizing he had slipped up. "I can't tell you that."

"Why not?" Hunk didn't answer.

"Hunk?" Keith poked him on the arm.

"Hunk?" He tapped his shoulder.

"Hunk!" he shook his shoulder.

"Hunk... Hunk... Hunk... HUNK!" still nothing. Keith growled. "Hunk... Hunk... Hunk... Hunk... Hu-"

"All right!" Hunk squeaked, scampering away. "I give. I'll show you."

...

The light disappeared from around them, and they found themselves in some sort of canyon. There were dozens of glass tubes with gems on top of them and drills on the bottom scattered all around. They hung on the walls of the canyon, posed over large holes in the walls.

"Welcome to the Kindergarten." Hunk whispered, wrapping his arms around himself. Keith didn't notice. "Look at the place." he said, awed. He stepped off the warp, which was up on a stairwell, _fancy,_ and walked out onto the soil. "What's that?" he asked, pointing at one of the drills.

"Just some old gem junk from a long time ago." Hunk shifted, tense and uncomfortable. "Can we go now?"

"Hold on." Keith ran over to one of holes. Now that he got a better look at it, he realized it was almost shaped like a person. "What's this?"

Hunk lowered his head, almost in shame. "It's my hole." he whispered. "It's where I was made."

"You were made here?" Keith asked, running a hand over the grooves.

"Yeah. One day..." Hunk snapped his fingers, "right out of the ground."

Keith stepped back, looking at the dark, dry, sunless walls. "So what about all the other holes?"

The two younger Paladins heard the sound of the warp activating, and saw Shiro appear on the pad. He seemed mad. "Blue told me you would be here, but I didn't want to believe it." he marched over to them, stepping in between Hunk and Keith. "Hunk, what were you thinking, bringing Keith to a Kindergarten?"

Hunk turned bright orange. "He wouldn't stop bugging me."

"So you just thought to bring him here?" Shiro asked. "How much have you told him?"

Hunk turned pale yellow. "You mean how bad gems came here to make more bad gems?"

"They grew other gems here?" Keith asked.

Hunk looked over at him, shame paint on his face. "It's fine now!" he tried to reassure. "We won, and we shut this place down, so now the earth's safe from parasites like me."

"Hunk, stop it!" Shiro glared at the yellow gem. "He's not ready."

"Shiro..." Keith whined.

"Keith, I'm sorry. I never wanted you to see this place." Shiro said.

"Then why don't you just leave?!" Hunk screamed. Shiro looked taken aback. This outburst wasn't like Hunk. But Hunk wasn't done. "Or, better yet, can you just admit that I'm an embarrassment to you?" He jammed a finger into Shiro's chest, demanding some sort of reaction. "Well?"

Shiro shook his head. "Keith, get back to the warp. We're leaving."

"Not until you answer me!" Hunk screamed, pushing Shiro back from him and Keith. Shiro flew back a few feet, quickly regaining his footing. He sighed, but it looked like he felt more inconvenienced than hurt.

"Hunk, I don't want to fight you." Shiro warned.

Hunk growled. "I wouldn't want to fight me either." he pulled his canon out of his gem, and fired a smoke bomb at Shiro. The pearl easily evaded it, and summoned his own weapon. As Hunk fired lasers at him, Shiro used his gauntlet to reflect them right back.

"Hunk, stop it." Shiro ordered. He held out his hand threateningly. "You can't beat me."

"I. Don't. Care." Hunk spat coldly, before firing several water balloons. They hit Shiro dead on, and the glow of his gauntlet fizzled out. This gave Hunk the perfect opportunity to fire a laser at the ground in front of Shiro. Rocks and earth exploded out, blowing Shiro back into one of the gem machines with enough force to snap someone's spinal chord.

Shiro groaned, and gently picked himself up. "I never asked to be made." Hunk whimpered out, causing Shiro to stare at him. Tears streaked down his face

"Hunk..." he tried to begin, but Keith stepped in front of them.

"Hunk... I'm sorry, please... just stop." he begged, voice cracking. "I can't stand watching you two fight..."

Hunk paused, and his face sunk, realizing what he was doing. "I-"

A rumbling sound echoed through the Kindergarten, and a nearby gem machine shifted. The blast from Hunk's canon must have shaken it. As it barreled down towards them, Keith created a bubble around him and Shiro.

"Hunk!" Keith called out in alarm. Hunk just stared at him, before running in the opposite direction. The machine fell directly on the bubble, breaking across it. As the rubble parted, Keith looked around. Hunk was nowhere to be seen. But Keith knew where he could be.

"Hunk?" Keith asked, walking up to the citrine-shaped hole.

"Just go away." Hunk whimpered, curled into a fetal position at the very back of the hole. "I'm bad and you shouldn't be around me."

Keith felt anger bubble up inside him. "That's ridiculous." That only made Hunk shrink in more. The anger in Keith's features softened. There wasn't anything he could do. He turned around, and went back over to his other friend. "Shiro, he won't listen to me." The pearl stared at him for a moment, before sighing.

He walked over to the hole, and sat down by the entrance. "Hunk..."

The citrine gave no indication he heard him.

"I had no idea you felt like this." he continued.

"WHAT!?" Hunk interjected, voice cold. "You had no idea? This is like, my entire existence!" Shiro wince at the un-Hunk-like tone. "You want to pretend like none of this ever happened! You think I'm just a big mistake!"

Shiro paled. "Hunk... no... By the stars, is that what you thing?" Hunk didn't answer. "I've never thought of you as a mistake. You didn't build this place. None of this is your fault. I... I'm sorry. You were the one good thing to come out of this mess." He patted Hunk's shoulder, trying to muster all the comfort he could. "I always thought you were proud of that."

Hunk sucked in a breath, snot and tears still pouring out of him. He crawled out of his hole, and gave Shiro a hug. "Thanks." he whispered.

Shiro smiled, barely holding back his own tears. "Let's go." The three Paladins stepped onto the warp, and went home.

 **...**

 **Never push Hunk too far.**


	30. The Space Knife

**So this is the chapter I have anticipated writing second only to Jail Break. Which is one of the reasons it took so long. (sorry about that) I really hope you enjoy.**

 **And be warned, I wouldn't read this in a room where someone is chopping onions.**

 **...**

Chapter 30: The Space Knife

"Oh come on!" Keith whined, looking down a the broken sword stump in his hands. "Keith, focus!" Blue had ordered, blocking an attack from the solid-rock monster the pair was fighting. Its skin was impenetrable, to the point where Keith had smashed his training sword while trying to defeat it.

"Worry about it later!" Blue had advised.

Well, it was later. The monster was poofed and bubbled and they both made it home safe. The perfect time to ask. "I need you to fix my sword." he said, holding out the pieces to Hunk.

Hunk chuckled. "I still don't understand how you broke it." he picked up the broken hilt. "What makes you think I can even fix this?" he asked.

"Can't you?" Keith asked, raising his brow ever so slightly. Hunk shook his head. "I'm an engineer, not a blacksmith." he set the hilt back down. "But Shiro might be able to help."

"How?" Keith asked.

"I don't know." Hunk replied, heading towards his room. "He just gets his hands on them somehow."

Keith watched the citrine leave. "Mmmmm." _Shiro can get me a sword? Guess that makes sense. He was the one who gave me my training sword._ he thought. _Guess I'd better go find him._

 _..._

Shiro was calm, at peace, relaxed. He sat there, happily, enjoying the gentle flap of waters on the shore. It was so nice, he could almost fall asleep, something he rarely did.

"Shiro, I need a sword!" Keith said, stepping in front of the pearl. Shiro blinked sleepily. "What happened to your old one?"

"I broke it on the skin of an impenetrable rock monster."

"That sounds about right." Shiro smiled, standing up from the sand. "Come on, we'll get you a new one."

The two left the beach, and went inside. "Are we getting one from your room?"

The pearl laughed at the notion. "I doubt you could even pick one of those up."

He guided Keith to the warp pad, and they jumped somewhere Keith had never seen before.

It was a large canyon, vast and empty. "So we've got a two-hour climb straight up that cliff. Think you're up for it?" Shiro asked.

"Let's do it." Keith said excitedly.

...

"So where exactly are we..." Keith grunted in effort, "climbing to?"

Shiro moved his foot to a new foothold, accidentally kicking dust into Keith's face. "Sorry." he apologized, hoisting himself up. "We... are going... to your mother's... secret armory."

"My mother... had a... secret... armory?" Keith asked, lifting himself up onto a ledge sticking out of the cliff side. "Yeah." Shiro answered, joining him. "And it's right through there." he pointed a small tunnel hidden behind the rock. The two crawled through it and came upon a familiar looking dais.

"This was one of several places hidden all over the world. Voltron used them to store weapons that could easily be accessed." Shiro explained, stepping on the dais. It glowed white rather than pink, and a familiar control panel popped up.

"Can I do it?" Keith asked, staring at the shiny buttons.

Shiro smiled. "Sorry, Keith, but it's really complicated."

Keith scowled at him. "I've done it before."

"When? Did Blue bring you to an armory?" Shiro asked.

"No." Keith answered. "Cosmo did."

"How would Cosmo know about an armory?" Shiro raised an eyebrow at the absurd notion.

"I don't know. He just brought me and Acxa and we were attacked by this droid that shot lasers at us." he explained. "Then I pulled this knife out of Cosmo's mane and used it to wreck the droid."

Shiro frowned. "That knife wouldn't have happened to look like this, would it?" A hologram of the knife appeared from Shiro's pearl.

"Yeah, that's it." Keith confirmed.

Shiro smiled. "That's the weapon you want. It was your mother's luxite blade. Do you know where it is?"

"Yeah. Cosmo has this pocket dimension in his fur. There's all sorts of things hidden in his mane." Keith explained.

"Then Cosmo _did_ belong to Krolia. Which means..." Shiro smiled evilly. "Blue owes me twenty bucks. Come on, let's head back."

Keith nodded, then paused. "What's that?" he asked, pointing at a large chunk of what looked like ice. Sharps shards of it speared out, some in the air, other in the walls. How it managed to stay frozen in the 70 degree heat was beyond Keith.

"What's that doing here?" Shiro pondered. He walked over to it, and observed the spikes. He paused for a moment, a look of horror on his face. He grabbed something, and walked back over towards Keith. The boy stared at the object. It was a cracked visor, with a hole through one of the eyes.

Shiro's grip on it tightened, and he walked right past the young Paladin. He continued on through the exit. Keith tried to stick close to him, but a question stayed in his mind.

 _Why was the ice there?_

...

Shiro stepped off the warp pad, and Keith followed behind him, silent. He had no idea what was going on. Shiro hadn't said a word since they found the visor, and Keith was too afraid to ask.

He stopped in the kitchen, where Blue and Hunk were sitting at the table eating ice cream. Shiro cleared his throat, getting their attention.

"Blue... what's this?" He asked, holding up the eyewear. Blue's jaw dropped, but she quickly closed it and went back to her ice cream. "No idea!" she squeaked.

"Blue, is this what I think it is?" Shiro asked, clearly distraught.

Blue looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole. "It might be..."

"I can't believe you kept this from me!" Shiro said angrily, clutching the visor to his chest.

"I didn't want you to get upset!" Blue defended, her cheeks a dark blue.

"You lied to me about the gem I loved!" Shiro yelled, tears leaking out of his eyes. "You told me that you had no idea what happened to him! What kind of sicko does that?Was all that talk about not keeping secrets _just talk?_ "

Tears leaked out of Blue's eyes as well. "I kept it a secret to protect you! You were in pain!"

"Was not warning him your way of protecting him too? Or were you just protecting yourself, like the self-absorbed _aristocrat_ you are?" That was a step too far. The moment those words left Shiro mouth, Keith wanted to grab him and run away as far as possible. All signs of remorse had left Blue. She seemed so angry, angrier than Keith had ever seen her. She stood up, and marched over to Shiro, towering over him. Her hair, from the roots down, turned to ice. Solid, jagged, probably magical, glowing _ice_.

"Shiro, my whole life, I have been taken advantage of, whether I realized it or not. He was one of the first people to see _me_ and not my title. He was my friend, and it's my fault he's gone." Her glowing yellow eyes stuck out from behind her bangs. "Did it ever occur to you that you're not the only one who misses him?"

"You can begin to understand how I feel! You didn't have what we had!" Shiro said, not backing down from the terrifying glare. The scar across his nose began to _glow,_ making him almost as terrifying as Blue. Hunk grabbed Keith arm, and dragged him away from the two.

"Where are we going?" Keith asked.

"As far from the blast zone as possible." Hunk said, leading him down the porch steps.

"Blast zone?" Keith echoed, just as a huge shard of ice burst through the window. His jaw dropped, fear that something had happened to one of his friends. Keith ran back in time to see Shiro warping away.

"FINE! Go cry about it!" Blue yelled at him.

"Where's he going?" Keith asked in concern. "Who cares?" Blue growled. "I hate it when he gets like this." She turned around to the destroyed window. The destructive ice was _exactly_ like the ice in the cave. As she went outside, she called out to Hunk, "Get the flamethrower!"

The rose quartz was so confused. What was going on? Keith ran over to the warp pad, and concentrated. It took a moment, but a beam appeared around him, and carried him off.

 _Think about Shiro, think about Shiro, think about Shiro._

Keith appeared in a familiar, strawberry-covered battlefield. Keith looked around. His upset friends wasn't too far away, only a few feet, standing with his back to the young boy. "Shiro!" Keith called out to the pearl. Shiro turned to him, before yelling, "Leave me alone!"

He ran away, and Keith quickly followed. "Wait!"

"I don't want to talk!" Shiro didn't stop, running up a hill.

Keith wasn't far behind, but he slipped on a strawberry, and tumbled down the hill. When he reached the bottom, he groaned. "Ow."

He turned his head, and looked to the top. Shiro was sitting, back hunched and clearly miserable. Keith picked himself up, and made his way to the top, slower this time.

"Shiro!" Keith called out to his friend, "You have to tell me what's wrong!"

Shiro shoulders began to shake. Keith winced, expecting more tears, but instead he was met with hysterical, dry laughter. "Sometimes, you sound just like him." Shiro muttered. Keith made he way over to him, and sat down next to him. "I don't know how... you've never even met him."

"Who?" Keith asked.

Shiro stood up, and his pearl began to glow. A hologram appeared a few feet in front of the two. It was a man, or maybe a gem? His back was to them, but Keith could see that he was tall.

"Adam." Shiro called out the the image, and the man turned around. "Yes?" he asked.

Keith realized that he was, in fact, a gem, a square embedded in his right eye, and a visor to protect it. Keith also saw he was wearing a similar uniform to what Katie had worn, only without the lab coat and a different symbol printed over his chest. A big grin plastered across his face.

Shiro took a step closer, a pained look on his face. "I'm going to stay, and fight for this planet. You don't have to do this with me."

Adam frowned. "But I want to."

"I know you want to." Shiro said, taking the hologram's hands in his own. "But I need you to understand, if we lose, we'll be killed." He tightened his grip, fear plain across his face. "And if we win, we can never go home."

Adam just gave him a playful smirk, and brushed Shiro's bangs back. "Why would I ever want to go home, if you're right here?"

Shiro laughed at the corny line, and pressed their foreheads together. It didn't last long, as the hologram disappeared shortly after. Shiro fell to his knees. "Everything I ever did, I did it for him. Now he's gone."

Tears poured down Shiro's cheeks. "But I'm still here. I'm _stuck_ here, alone."

Keith felt his own eyes water, and he felt his heart sink. How had he not known about this? About any of this? Keith raised his shaky arms, and wrapped them around Shiro. "You might be stuck... but you're _not_ alone." Keith pressed his face into Shiro's back, mustering every once of comfort he could.

Shiro let out a short sigh. He leaned his head back, and blinked a few times. He stared out at the vast battlefield, and thought. About every fight he'd ever had with his friends, about every duel he'd ever witnessed, about the battle that took his love's life... had any of it been worth it? Keith's grip tightened again, and Shiro smiled in a sad, pitiful way. _Yeah, yeah it was._

The two sat there for a long time, till Cosmo showed up, and carried them home.


	31. Future Vision

Chapter 31: Future Vision

Keith's alarm rang at 7:05, just like it did every morning. And, just like he did every morning, he was playing video games by 7:15. Despite what everyone said, Keith knew for a fact that video games didn't make people violent. After all, he played loads of video games, and he wasn't very aggressive. At least, he wasn't as aggressive as some of his teammates.

It had been two weeks since what Hunk and Keith called "the ice incident."

Things were... okay. Blue and Shiro still weren't back to normal, but they didn't look like they wanted to kill each other. Keith didn't mention Blue's hair or Shiro's scar, but he really wanted to. He knew that it was bothering both of them, he just wasn't sure why.

It was sometime around 7:30 Blue walked in his room with a large stack of pancakes.

She placed them in front of him, and sat down on the bed. Keith stared at her, confused as to why she was here.

"What are your plans for today?" she asked, sliding him a bottle of maple syrup. He took it, and poured it over his food. After getting in a couple bites, he answered, "I was going to play for a while, then do some training with Hunk."

Blue stood up, and walked over to the TV. "What game is this?"

Keith smiled, happy to explain. "It's called Monsters and Mana. It's an online RPG based off an older game of the same title..."

"That's great." Blue said, before unplugging the TV. Keith stared at the black screen for a moment, before he dropping his controller. "What was that for?"

Blue didn't reply. Instead, she walked over to his closet and picked out a fresh change of clothes. "Get dressed. We're going on a mission."

"Where are we going?" Keith asked, taking the clothes. The older paladin shook her head. "It's a surprise."

Keith went for his new luxite blade, but Blue raised a hand. "You won't be needing that."

...

"When you said we were going on a mission, I thought you meant a magical one." Keith whined, following Blue through the aisles if the grocery store. "Yeah, well... that's what you get for assuming things." Blue retorted, looking up and down her shopping list.

"I don't even see how this qualifies as a mission." he continued. He looked over the prices of some nearby beans. One was pretty cheap, but Keith knew for a fact that brand tasted like cardboard. But the better brand only had black beans, which were just plain gross. "Which one should I get?"

"Just grab the black beans. I'm sure Hunk can make something edible with them. Plus, I have a two-for-one coupon." Blue instructed. Keith nodded, grabbed the cans, and headed back to the cart.

"Keith, wait." Blue warned, holding up a hand. "Don't move." Keith froze, and looked around. "What's wrong?"

"Just trust me. You can't move a muscle." she said.

Keith stood there, waiting for something to happen. And after a tense 12 seconds, both the shelves in front of Keith and behind him collapsed, and dozens of cans toppled to the floor. Luckily, not a single one hit him.

"Oh my goodness, are you okay?" a worker asked, running up to Keith. Keith blinked, and pointed at the broken shelves. "What happened?" he asked.

The worker bent down, and observed the broken shelves. "Looks like the screws must've not been tightened enough. Looks like you were pretty lucky, kid." he gestured to the shelf in front of Keith. "This one was put together right."

Keith stared at the carnage around, burst cans with their contents all over the place, and carefully made his way to Blue. "We should probably leave." he said.

Blue quickly agreed, and the two paid for their groceries and left.

...

"So... how did you do it?" Keith asked, placing the beans in the cabinet. Blue shrugged. "Guess I just have good instincts." she answered.

Keith wasn't convinced. "Are you sure it wasn't something more... _magical?"_ he asked. The gem set the groceries on the counter, and scratched her head in thought. "No, pretty sure it was just a lucky guess." A conniving smile spread across his face. It would break everything Keith stood for, but he knew that he had no choice. Blue wouldn't give under any other circumstance.

"Blue, have you seen Avengers: Endgame yet?"

Blue placed a loaf of bread in the bread box. "No," she said testingly. "I haven't had the time."

"Well, you should." Keith smiled devilishly. "There's this one scene where..."

"I'm going to stop you right there." Blue said coldly. "I can tell you're not going to give this up, and at the risk of ruining you're entire perspective on life, I'll tell you." She sat down at the table, and Keith sat across from her.

Keith leaned forward in anticipation. "Well?" Blue let out a long, exasperated sigh. "I can... sort of see the future."

"How? Isn't the future something that can't be predicted?" he asked.

Blue tapped her chin, thinking of someway to explain it. "I can... I see the possible outcomes our actions create." She clasped her hands together, and spread them out, creating a stream of water between her fingers. "Think of time like a river, and that we are on a boat drifting down it. Everyone else is blind to what's in front of the boat, but I can see it crystal clear. I can see routes down the river, and what would come of us if we chose to go those ways."

Keith reached out his hand, drawing images in the water between Blue's fingers. "What about that ice you made?" The gem instantly drew her hands away, and the water vanished. "That's a story for another time." She said.

"Okay, but-" Blue silenced Keith's protest by brushing back her hair, and staring at him with one of her yellow eyes.

Keith suppressed a shudder. Stars, those things could be creepy. "Nevermind. Think you could tell me more about the future?"

Blue smiled. "Of course! Come on." She said, grabbing his wrist. She dragged him out to the lake shore. "Okay. Ask me anything."

"Hmmmm." Keith looked around, eyes stopping on a boat out on the lake. "What's going to happen to that boat?"

Blue turned her attention towards said vessel, and thought for a moment. "If the captain doesn't cast his line off the other side, it'll be two hours before he catches a fish."

Well, considering his line was clearly stuck on a nearby rock, that wasn't too impressive. "What's going to happen to that seagull..." he began, pointing at a seagull with a soda ring around its neck, "...if it eats a doughnut?"

"If we don't take the ring off it's neck, then it'll choke and die."

 _Duh,_ Keith thought cynically.

"But if we do, than it'll poop on Mr. Iverson's car..."

Interesting... Iverson's car was a very nice convertible. That could be funny to watch, especially since Iverson still wouldn't revoke Keith's ban from Funland.

"... while the top's down."

"We need to keep that poor bird from choking." Keith said, taking initiative.

...

The look on Iverson's face after the bird flew overhead was worth the two dollar doughnut they had given the bird.

Keith had a lot of fun, using Blue's powers to mess with people. Who could they mess with next? "What's Plaxum up to?" Keith asked.

Blue stared off into space for a moment, before asking. "Is it Wednesday?"

"Yes." Keith confirmed.

"Then she probably sneaking snacks from the groceries her mother just bought. But this week, she's more bold than usual, and it's going to get her caught."

"What's she trying to steal?" Keith asked, hoping for some blackmail material.

"Ice cream."

"Oh." Ice... that reminded him. "Blue, how did you...?"

Blue stopped, and sent Keith a dirty look. "Doesn't matter." She gestured for him to follow her. "Let's go do something else."

...

Around sunset, they found a bench on the pier to sit on and watch the sun go down. But that things were calmer, Keith had something else in mind. "What happens if you tell me about the ice?" He asked Blue.

She crossed her arms. "You won't look at me the same." She answered.

Keith placed a hand on her shoulder. "We aren't supposed to keep secrets, remember?"

Gosh darn-it, those words were going to haunt her forever. "There was a mission." she began, thinking back to what had happened. "And a friend of ours was alone. He accidentally set off one of the trap hidden inside the armory, and his gem was broken because of it."

The young gem nodded his head, pieces falling into place. "Did you see that happening in your future vision?"

Tears poured out from under Blue's hair. "Yeah." she admitted.

"Then why not say anything?" Keith nearly growled out. If she could have saved Shiro that pain, then why didn't she?

Blue looked down at her hands. Two sparkly gems stared back at her. "I didn't want _anyone_ to get hurt." she tucked her hands into her pockets, hiding the jewels from sight. "But of all the futures I could see, the one with Adam was the best for all of us. The ones without him were the ones where the most people lived."

Keith crossed his arms. "And you thought it was your decision to make?"

"Keith, this might surprise you, but I wasn't made to give orders." she said. "I was made to follow them. So, for one of the few times in my existence, I had a choice to make. Either let one of my friends die, or lose all of them."

Keith understood, but... "Do you ever see futures where I die?"

Blue turned to face him, and pushed her bangs back. Yellow, sad eyes stared into Keith's violet ones. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." she promised.

The rose quartz felt a lump form in his throat, before he wrapped his arms around Blue. "Thanks." he whispered.


End file.
